This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project
to make the world's books discoverable online.
It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject
to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books
are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture and knowledge that's often difficult to discover.
Marks, notations and other marginalia present in the original volume will appear in this file - a reminder of this book's long journey from the
publisher to a library and finally to you.
Usage guidelines
Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Public domain books belong to the
public and we are merely their custodians. Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order to keep providing this resource, we have taken steps to
prevent abuse by commercial parties, including placing technical restrictions on automated querying.
We also ask that you:
+ Make non-commercial use of the files We designed Google Book Search for use by individuals, and we request that you use these files for
personal, non-commercial purposes.
+ Refrain from automated querying Do not send automated queries of any sort to Google's system: If you are conducting research on machine
translation, optical character recognition or other areas where access to a large amount of text is helpful, please contact us. We encourage the
use of public domain materials for these purposes and may be able to help.
+ Maintain attribution The Google "watermark" you see on each file is essential for informing people about this project and helping them find
additional materials through Google Book Search. Please do not remove it.
+ Keep it legal Whatever your use, remember that you are responsible for ensuring that what you are doing is legal. Do not assume that just
because we believe a book is in the public domain for users in the United States, that the work is also in the public domain for users in other
countries. Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can't offer guidance on whether any specific use of
any specific book is allowed. Please do not assume that a book's appearance in Google Book Search means it can be used in any manner
anywhere in the world. Copyright infringement liability can be quite severe.
About Google Book Search
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers
discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web
at jhttp : //books . qooqle . com/
MACEDONIAN FOLKLORE
MACEDONIAN FOLKLORE
HonDon: C. J. CLAY and SONS,
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE,
AVE MARIA LANE,
Clai0ofo: 60. WELLINGTON STREET.
mtfffi
Icipw: P. A. BROGKHAUS.
frto gorfc: THE MAOMILLAN COMPANY.
Botnbas art Calcutta: MAOMILLAN AND 00., Ltd.
[All Bight* reserved.]
MACEDONIAN FOLKLORE
BY
G. F. ABBOTT, B.A.
EMMANUEL COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE.
CAMBRIDGE:
AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS
1903
Cambrftgr:
PRINTED BY J. AHD 0. F. CLAY,
AT THE UNIVERSITY PRE 88.
zip*
DEDICATED
(WITHOUT PERMISSION)
TO THE AUTHOR
OP
THE GOLDEN BOUGH
PREFACE.
FTM3E present volume contains the results of some re-
-■- searches into the folklore of the Oreek-speaking parts
of Macedonia, carried on in 1900-1 by the author under the
auspices of the Electors to the Prendergast Studentship and
of the Governing Body of Emmanuel College. The materials
thus derived from oral tradition have, in some cases, been sup-
plemented from local publications. Among the latter, special
mention must be made of the two excellent booklets on the
antiquities and folklore of Liakkovikia, by A. D. Gousios, a
native schoolmaster, frequently quoted in the following pages.
The peasant almanacks have also yielded a few additional
sayings concerning the months.
The writer has not been content with a bare record of
Dreams, magic terrors, spells of mighty power,
Witches, and ghosts who rove at midnight hour,
but, induced by the example of hi>* l**t£rg, has" undertaken
some tentative dighte to Zulu land, Yungnulgra, Zatnboanga,
the Seranglao and Gorong archipelagoes, and other resorts
now fashionable among folklorists. Ancient History and
modern, the Old World and the New have been laid under
contribution, to the limited extent of the authors reading,
with the result that many a nursery rhyme, shorn of all it*
familiar simplicity, has been
Started at home and humad in the dark
To <jaal, to Greece, aod into Noahs ark.
x Preface
For these spiritual excursions into the vast unknown, the
author is chiefly indebted to the guidance of Mr Tylors and
Mr Frazers monumental works, to some of Mr Andrew Lang's
essays, and to various other authorities mentioned in the foot-
notes. His thanks are also due to his forerunners in the
pursuit of Modern Greek folklore, and more particularly to
Mr Tozer, Herr Bernhard Schmidt, MM. Georgeakis et Pineau,
Sir Rennell Rodd and others whose labours it has been his
modest ambition to supplement. In conclusion, it is the
author's pleasant duty to acknowledge his obligations to the
readers of the Cambridge University Press, whose conscientious
and intelligent revision of the proofs has saved him from many
a slip.
G. F. A.
Emmanuel College,
Cambridge.
March 25, 1903.
CONTENTS.
CHAP. PAOE
I. The Folklorist in Macedonia 1
II. The Folk-Calendar and the Seasons 11
III. January, February and March 13
IV. Eastertide 25
V. April, May and June 43
VI. July to December 59
VII. Winter Festivities 73
VIII. Divination 95
IX. Symbolism 118
X. Birth 123
XI. Marriage 147
XII. Funeral Rites 192
XIII. Spirits and Spells 223
XIV. Macedonian Mythology 200
XV. Alexander and Philip in Folk-Tradition ... 279
XVI. Bird Legends 290
XVII. Miscellaneous Notes 295
XVIII. Riddles 302
XIX. Aiiavorpayov&a 334
Appendix I. . . t% . : . t \-\ • 347
II. . ...... "." . V '. \ 351
III 358
„ IV 362
V. 365
n VI 367
IffDBX 369
CHAPTER I.
THE FOLKLORIST IN MACEDONIA.
In the Near East, as elsewhere, Western civilization is doing
its wonted work of reducing all racial and individual character-
istics to a level of dull uniformity. The process, however, is
much slower in Macedonia than it is in countries like Egypt,
Greece, or Roilmania. The mountainous character of tho
province, the backward state of commerce, lack of security, and
the conspicuous absence of means of communication obstruct
the progress of foreign influence. The same causes keep tho
various districts, and their inhabitants, separated from each
other. To these impediments are further added the barriers
of language, creed, and race, all tending to foster that luxuriant
wealth of superstitious growth, which makes glad the heart
of the folklorist.
These features, naturally, are less prominent in the cosmo-
politan cities on the coast than in the interior of the country,
and in the interior, again, they are less prominent now than
they were some years ago. The materials which I collected at
Salonica and Ca valla were mostly gleaned from the peasants,
who resort to those centres from the environs for commercial or
religious purposes, and only in very few cases from natives
citizena The Khans, or inns, in which these villagers stop,
may be said to constitute the sole parts of the cities worth
exploring, and the exploration is neither an easy nor a pleasant
task. My real harvest was gathered in the thoroughly provin-
cial towns of Serres and Melenik, the townships of Demir
Hiasar and Nigrita, and the villages adjacent thereto ; an well
as in places of lesser note, such as Vassilika and Sochos in tho
A.F. 1
2 Macedonian Folklore
Chalcidic Trident, the settlements in its three prongs, Provista
in the valley of the Struma, Pravi in the neighbourhood of
Philippi, and some of the country around, and to the south of,
Drama. In all and sundry of these districts I found abundance
of the things of which I was in quest, and more than I could
possibly gather within the time allowed by circumstances.
At Serres I was chiefly beholden for my materials to an
aged and half-blind nurse, whose acquaintance I made through
the kind offices of certain Greek ladies, the old woman's
quondam charges. Kyra Tassio was a rich mine of fairy-lore,
and though she would insist on going at a rate more in keeping
with the pace of a motor-car than with the speed of an ordinary
human hand, I succeeded in filling several note-books from her
dictation, only to find on examination that a great many of her
tales had already been substantially reproduced by Hahn, while
some of the rest were not worth reproducing at all. Still,
out of the heap of dross, several nuggets of pure gold were
secured: enough to satisfy the ambition of a moderately
Banguine explorer.
M. Tzikopoulos, a learned professor of that town, was good
enough to assist me in the elucidation of the stories obtained
from Kyra Tassio and other ancient sources, and to him I am
also indebted for much valuable information on the dialect of
the district, as well as for a number of notes on the language
and customs of South-Western Macedonia, the part of the
country from which he hailed. 1 I am all the more grateful to
M. Tzikopoulos because he made no secret of his hearty con-
tempt for my pursuits. Philology was his particular hobby,
and, in proportion as he loved his own hobby, he scorned the
hobbies of other men. Old wives' tales had no charm for
M. Tzikopoulos. " It is all nonsense and sheer waste of time,"
he assured me solemnly on more occasions than one, and yet he
never refused to be questioned.
M. Zographides of Melenik was another genial old teacher
1 For my introduction to this gentleman I am indebted to the courtesy of
M. P. N. Papageorgiou, the well-known scholar and archaeologist, whose
sympathetic interest in my work will always remain as one of the most pleasant
reminiscences of my tour.
Thr Fotklorist in Macedonia
-ons and friendly guidance I owe much. Unlike
rhis authority was conveniently eclectic in his
nd his heart was impartially open to all kinds of
kno* om Anthropology to Demouology, and from Philo-
ided the subject ended in -ology. It
hat he alsu professed the teamed man's contempt for
but, being of a more to! -position,
■judice, and saw no objection to cross-examining
and all the old ladies of the i; hood on my
4 other local gentlemen were
crr>wfn-d wir attltfl run |>ly prove.
At Ueleoik I was doomed to i disappointment at
tie Scribed her as a
Lin a complete and
itioo. But, when weighed in the balance, she
Uy wanting, and the few things which 1 luted out
of total
A third femali wned witch— on whom I
hu did high hopes, showed her diabolical wicked-
afore m\ arrival
These bilai dtfa in old « of die fair
■sj is But it,, kYoon ill*' f*»lkloriat
enabled mo, Helenik, to fall in with an old
the oppo though a mere
bear' , was, from dent's poinl of view, worth at
least xi f old dames rolled inl
I found him in his workshop, sitting cross-legged «>n a rush
with hi II -tucked between the knees.
Though the owner <>f bww i u, he
was past exp at the hands
of Bulgarian I fear of similar treatment in
1 1 1 e and ell for a 1 1 ve I i hood, I u short ,
r\ But, like the Great Me! — his col-
league of JRkui // ai — he was an individual far
above his station. This i Qt from the maiifn I in
and entertained me. Nothing could be
©of** , philosophical, i
\rards the strange collector of nonsense.
1
4 Macedonian Folklore
A glance through a pair of brass-rimmed spectacles, un-
stably poised on an honestly red nose, satisfied Kyr Liatsos
that his visitor had not called for so commonplace an object as
a pair of trousers. With remarkable mental agility he adjusted
himself to these new circumstancea The fur-coat, on which he
was engaged at the moment of my entrance, flew to the other
end of the shop, one of the apprentices was despatched for a
bottle of arrack and tobacco, and in two minutes Eyr Liatsos
was a tailor transformed.
There being no chairs in the establishment we reclined, my
guide and I, & la Grecque on the rush mats which covered the
floor. I produced my note-books, and my host, after a short
and somewhat irrelevant preface concerning the political state
of Europe, the bloodthirsty cruelty of the Macedonian Com-
mittee, and the insatiable rapacity of the tax-gatherers,
plunged into the serious business of the day. It is true that
his discourse was often interrupted by allusions to matters
foreign to the subject in hand, and still more often by impre-
cations and shoes addressed to the apprentices, who preferred
to listen to their master's tales rather than do his work. Yet,
in spite of these digressions, Eyr Liatsos never missed or
tangled the threads of his narrative.
Meanwhile his wife arrived, and after having given vent to
some natural astonishment at her lord's novel occupation, she
collapsed into a corner. Her protests, at first muttered in an
audible aside, grew fainter and fainter, and at last I thought
she had fallen asleep. On looking up, however, I discovered
that she merely stood spell-bound by her gifted husband's
eloquence. It was only when the latter got up and began to
romp about the room, that she felt it her duty to express her
strong disapprobation of the proceedings. This she did in the
following terms:
" Art thou not ashamed of thyself, O my husband ? Thou
dancest and makest merry, and thy poor brother has been dead
scarcely a month."
Thereupon I perceived that Eyr Liatsos actually wore
round his fez a black crape band which had not yet had time
to turn green. I sympathized with the lady for an instant.
The FoUdorut in Macedonia
But the next moment I was completely reassured by her
husb tort:
a busine he answered, gravely,
but with- ting his waltz, "and I know how to mind
eemlyjoy that 1 dance; but in order
nan the steps of our country dance. My
But women cannot comprehend such
thin
Having delivered this severe rebuke Kyr Liatsos resumed
iry.
which ii 11 man
-lance between Ku Lia1 I the
Mel. A customer was annou i big Turk, who
waii' n busirn
irks be damned! wm the emphatic and
higW rcial answer, accompanied by a well-ai
shoe at the head of a truant appn-i.
ted that Kyr Liatsos should not neglect In- interests
on nv iid that I should be v sorj if he
lost mgh his hospitality.
he thundered back, " What is money,
when hmd the satisfaction of conversing with a man
I to bow my thanks for the compliment as
gracefully as my attitude on the Hour permitted.
It was* dark ere I left Ku Ltutsoe's 00 ined
establishment On i out I nearly fell over a crowd of
the fact
^s in the shop, had gathered oaf
rljr, though timidly, listening through
AM experiences at M. U ink pale beside this
h her Great Tailor,
Petritz, thoi eedingly fruitful m other
Lively barren of results so far m
was concerned. 1 found th-
in ai condition, and the T kuthorities, partly
from gen t«» grief and partly
6 Macedonian Folklore
an equally lively apprehension that I might spy the nakedness
of the land and the wretchedness thereof, allowed me little
liberty for folklore. To interview people would have meant
getting them into trouble, and to be seen taking notes would
have resulted in getting into trouble myselt All my enquiries
had, therefore, to be conducted with the utmost secrecy and all
my writing to be done with curtains drawn closely.
For this unsuccess I was richly compensated at Nigrita.
In that township I had the privilege of being the guest of
a wealthy weaver, whose looms furnished employment to a
considerable number of hands. His workmen were easily
induced to dictate to me scores of the songs with which they
beguiled the tedium of their daylong toil, while many others
were likewise pressed into the service of Ethnology. So that
when I departed I had several note-books filled with multi-
farious information on men and things. In this place I also
had an opportunity of assisting at a local dance in the ' middle-
space ' (fteaox&pi) of the village. But my readers will be spared
the description of a function which is infinitely more interesting
in real life than on paper.
The thing which impressed me most deeply throughout my
tour was the astonishing facility with which the people entered
into the spirit of the enterprise. That I was the first person
who had ever explored the country with the avowed purpose of
picking up old wives' tales and superstitions was evident from
the surprise and incredulity with which my first questions were
everywhere received by the peasants. Yet no sooner were their
fears of being the victims of a practical joke dispelled than they
evinced the shrewdest comprehension of the nature and value
of the work. In this I could not help thinking that the
Macedonian folk presented a most flattering contrast to the
rural population of western lauds. Like the latter they are
naturally shy of divulging their cherished beliefs to a stranger ;
but it is not difficult to overcome their shyness. A little tact
in most cases and a little silver in some are sufficient to loosen
their tongues.
Another and more formidable obstacle was the suspicion
that my curiosity was prompted by sinister motives. The
The FoOdoriat in Macedonia
Chri u Turkey are so frequently harassed by the
■s on account of their national aspirations and political
sympathies that a new-comer is always an object of mistrust.
Every stranger is a detective until he has proved himself to
be an honest man. For all these reasons it is imperative to
humble folk through their betters; those who
and at the same time are
enlijj the importance of the stu I
tion and courteous jh t.i exert their influence on
itndent'fl To people of this class I seldom
in vain. Th> A by the Greek's love
nan, made them always ready to place their
iposaL 1 oooaaioxi stone I failed, and
I as a warning to others. It
shows how the work is not to be done,
l in a small villi it of the
Cha ! d insula. I had been informed that two old
It in a cerf ige, were considered the
s on funeral laments. I at in
ij persuasion, 1 o bo secure the support
of a I forthwith |»r.» the ahode of
h in hand, and explained to them the
ig of DSj "rrand
kindly fac the
in pin-
tclaimed both in one i oi»
Vo ond ! You want to ho] i J ridicule
all 0*1 d? Is tl mean, oh V*
U9 further from my though
ds had no other effect than t«» intensify the
unclignri»-d retreat, with
enraged i
wanting in
onmnmu gi VI. ttticnoeot, an official of the
tie pcfuutntfl, who
8 Macedonian Folklore
I did not repeat the experiment.
Great part of my material was collected during late summer
and early autumn, in the open fields and vineyards, whenever
the relative absence of brigandage and agitation rendered that
possible, and on the roads while travelling from one place to
another. On the latter occasions my fellow-travellers, and
more especially my muleteers, were made to supply me with
information. Very often the songs with which they cheered
the way were at the conclusion of the journey dictated to me.
But my best work was done by the cottage fireside. During
the long evenings of winter it is the custom for families to
meet and spend the time in social companionship (vvxrepi).
The women in these reunions generally keep their hands
busy knitting, and, of course, their tongues gossiping. The
men smoke and discuss politics. Now and again the work
is laid aside, the debate is adjourned, and they all listen
attentively to the tale which some ancient dame is telling for
the benefit of the youngsters. On special occasions, such as
the eves of saints' days, these gatherings assume an entirely
festive character. No work is done, but the time is devoted to
stories, riddles and songs, hence knowu as ' Sitting-up Songs '
(/cadiari/cd).
The old Klephtic ballads are also still sung not only on the
mountains but in the fields and plains, and in all places where
the ear of the police cannot reach. Nay, at feasts and fairs,
and wherever Greeks are gathered together, a round or two of
the " bell-mouthed glass " is enough to make them cast fear to
the winds and give musical expression to their patriotic feelings.
Even in the towns on the coast, where serenades and love-ditties
are so much in vogue and the Turkish commissaries of police
so much in evidence, the epic is not forgotten. At Ca valla
I met one evening an Epirot highlander, who invited me to
a tavern and promised to regale me with " such songs as had
never been heard before." He fulfilled his promise to the
letter. When all the habitues were gone, the shutters were
put up, and the lights, for the fear of the Turks, were turned
down, my friend cleared his throat and commenced one of the
wildest and most thrilling melodies that has ever assailed my
Th* FoUdorint in Macedon
i»
and little his enthusiast < r of his
e ami swelled uutil the grimy a]
- peopled with the shades of heroes, the dm
plendour of heroic dc d the
r.ivnn was tnu I into a I on
Tyranny. It ■■ hetic
ene, notwithstanding its gv uess. Tl u-keeper
if Through
light of the apartment I could SB
which fa kindh-d rei
ih«- map pe. A deep
was the only applause which greeted the and but
i rich I j rewarded. H< had relieved his own oref-
leded in stirring the hearts of
his audience. H tad departed with a brief
ere bo popular through-
nut I k world I found few • lis M I'edonia, The
has fall kd barbarism have
-and itf presentatives
d by singing the prod their
at village fairs and weddings. Barba Stetioe,
whom 1 desci where, 1 seems to have been in very truth
the laoodonian minstrels.
From audi drawn most ol the materials out of
wr present work h;is been compiled. 3 Even where the
finfonnati quite new, I venture to hope that it may be
till as a corroboration or correction at first hand of the
led by othera, It is not to be pre-
nian
folklore, It only r - the hi red hj
.1 of limited means within a of time.
j« of Modern Grew,
\ u't^l luui ilea and nine's collected had to be excluded c>
Iwtiiin they wtr» loo well known or bec*uee they Uy beyond tbc scope of the
jirv%rnt toIuju*. At mm* future dnl<? I inns
* «»U* tiun from thorn*
10 Macedonian Folklore
Another student with greater resources at his command might
find an aftermath well worth the trouble of gleaning.
Such a student, however, must be one not unwilling to face
hardship and danger. He must also be one prepared to look
upon brigands chiefly in the light of auxiliaries to the excite-
ment of rough travel, and upon Turkish Government officials
as interesting psychological phenomena. These qualifications,
a Colt revolver, a Turkish fez, a small medicine chest, a
moderate stock of humour, and a plentiful stock of insect-
killing powder are among the absolutely indispensable items
of the complete Macedonian traveller's outfit. A kodak may
or may not prove useful ; but in either case it will have to be
smuggled into the country or imported on the clear under-
standing that it is not an infernal machine — a point on which
the Custom House authorities are slow to be convinced, unless
argument is reinforced by bakshish. Note-books and maps are
to be used only in the dark, figuratively speaking; for a sight
of those suspicious articles may earn the traveller the reputation
of a secret political agent, — one dealing in "treasons, stratagems,
and spoils" — and lead to the awkward consequences which such
a reputation usually entails, including a rapid march under
escort to the nearest sea- port. The escort will indeed be
described in official parlance as a guard of honour, and the
expulsion as a signal proof of the Sultan's solicitude for the
traveller's safety ; but these polite euphemisms will not alter
the situation to any appreciable extent.
CHAPTER II.
THE FOLK-CALENDAR AND THE SEASONS.
Time among the peasantry of Macedonia is measured not
so much by the conventional calendar as by the labours and
festivals which are proper to the various seasons of the year.
Seed-time, harvest, and vintage ; the Feast of St George, or the
bonfires of St John — these are some of the landmarks in the
peasant's life. In most cases the Roman designations of the
months, meaningless to Greek ears, have been corrupted into
forms to which popular ingenuity has readily assigned a
plausible derivation ; in others they have been replaced by
names descriptive of the occupations which form the principal
feature of every month ; while a third class of months is known
by the name of the greatest saint whose feast occurs during
each one of them. These characteristic appellations lend to the
folk-calendar a variety and freshness of colour such as one
would vainly seek in the artificial almanacks of more highly
cultured communities; a possible exception to this rule being
offered only by the picturesque nomenclature of the Dutch
months, and by the short-lived, because artificial, return to
Nature initiated by the French during their Revolution.
There are wise saws attached to each month ; some con-
taining the fruit of past experience, others a shrewd forecast of
the future. Many of these products of rustic lore are from
time to time inserted in the cheap publications — Kazamias — of
Constantinople and Athens, which in some respects correspond
to our own Old Moore's Almanack. Many more are to be
12 Macedonian Folklore
culled in the country districts directly from the peasants
themselves. But, whether they are embodied in halfpenny
pamphlets or flourish freely in the open fields, these sayings
have their roots deep in the soil of popular conviction. The
weather is, of course, the theme upon which the village sage
mostly loves to exercise his wisdom ; for it is upon the weather
that the well-being of both herdsman and husbandman chiefly
depends. Several specimens of Macedonian weather-lore will
be found in the following pages. As a general rule they are in
verse, terse and concise as behoves the utterances of a popular
oracle. On the other hand, it must be confessed, these com-
positions sometimes exhibit all the insensibility to rhyme from
which suffer the illiterate everywhere. Most of these adages
are as widely known in Southern Greece as in the Greek-
speaking parts of Macedonia.
The Four Seasons.
The traditional division of the year into four seasons is
recognized by the popular muse in the following distich:
Tpel? firjve? elv r/ *Apoi£i teal rpel? to KaXotealpc
Tpeis elvav to XwcrrrtDpo 1 teal Tpel? j3apv$ Xeifjiwvas.
" Three months are Spring, and three Summer ;
Three are Autumn, and three keen Winter."
1 i.q. (p&irtncwpow.
CHAPTER III.
JANUARY, FEBRUARY AND MARCH.
The first month of the year is known as the 'Breeder'
(Ytvvdpr)*;), the corruption of the name (from 'lavovdpio?)
having suggested a meaning according well with the main
characteristic of the month ; for it is at this time of year that
cattle are wont to breed (yevvovv). It is also called the 'Great'
or 'Long Month' (MeyaXo? or Tpavos p,rjvas;\ in contradistinc-
tion to February ; and the 'Pruner' (KXaScimfc). It is good to
prune and trim trees and vines in this month, regardless of all
other considerations :
Ytvvapri fifjva tcXd&eve, <f>eyydpi p^v ferafi;?.
"In January look thy plants to prune,
And heed thou not the progress of the moon."
The force of the injunction will be fully appreciated by
those who know how deep and universal is the importance
attributed to the moon by the popular mind.
An omen is drawn from the observation of the weather
on the Epiphany:
Xapd \ rd Q>wra rd oreyvd teal rrj Aafnrprj j3p€fiimj.
*'A dry Epiphany and dripping Easter-tide
Betoken joy and plenty through the country-side."
This is the reverse of our English adages " A green Yule
makes a fat churchyard/' "January fair, the Lord have
mercy!" and other pessimistic proverbs well known to weather-
lorists. 1
1 See R. Inwards, Weather Lore, pp. 10 foil. ; The Book of Days, ed. by
R. Chambers, vol. i. p. 22.
14 Macedonian Folklore
A piece of culinary advice is conveyed by these rhymes :
n^rra, Korra rbv revvdprj,
KoKKOpa top t A\wvfiprj.
"In January make of hen thy pie,
And leave the cock to fat until July."
February.
February (&e{3povdpto<:) has had its name turned into
<l>Xe/9a/>i;9, which, according to the folk-etymologist, means the
'Vein-sweller,' because during this month the veins (^Xe^Sev) of
the earth are swollen with water — an idea also expressed by our
own folk appellation of the month : February fill-dyke. The
same idea is embodied in the ominous saw :
'O &\e/3dpT)<; <f>\efi€$ dvoiyci koX tropra^ a<f>a\vdei.
"February opens many a vein and closes many a door,"
that is, it is the cause of many a death.
But, notwithstanding his ferocity, February still is the
forerunner of the blissful time in store for us :
4>Xe)3api79 ley &v ^Xe^i^y,
KaXotcaipials fivpigei.
MA hv 8d)(Tr} seal /catetGHTT),
Mccr' '? to %iovi 0d fia? X°^ a V'
"February, though the veins he swell,
Still of spring and summer will he smell ;
But if perchance he wrathful grows,
He'll bury us beneath the snows."
February is likewise called Mi/t/oo? fifjvas or Kovrao-
(frXifiapos, that is, 'Little Month ' or 'Lame February.' 1
On Feb. 2nd is celebrated the feast of the Purification of
the Virgin (t^9 'TTrairavrrj?), our Candlemas Day. The
weather which prevails on that day is expected to last forty
days — a period which occurs constantly in modern Greek
1 The word kovt<t6s ' lame ' is by some identified with the Albanian Koutzi
* little,' as in the word Koutzo-Vlach, where it is said to mean Little Wallaoh,
in contradistinction to the Great Wallachs of the mediaeval M.cya\op\axta
(Thessaly). The usual translation is 'lame* or 'lisping,' an epithet referring
to the pronunciation of the Wallachs. These derivations are given under all
possible reservations and should not be taken for more than they are worth.
January, February and March 15
prognostications concerning the weather and is also familiar
in the folklore of most European countries. The superstition
attached to this day is also common. Sir Thomas Browne,
in his Vulgar Errors, quotes a Latin distich expressive of a
parallel belief:
Si sol splendescat Maria purificante,
Major erit glacies post festum quam fuit ante ;
which is well reproduced in the homely Scottish rhyme:
If Candlemaas day be dry and fair,
The half o' winter's to come and mair.
If Candlemass day be wet and foul,
The half o' winter's gane at Yule. 1 ,
Another Scotch proverb refers distinctly to the "forty days."
Saint Swithin's day, gin ye do rain,
For forty days it will remain ;
Saint Swithin's day, an ye be fair,
For forty days 't will rain nae mair.'
Gay also alludes to the superstition in his Trivia :
How, if on Swithin's feast the welkin lowers,
And ev*ry penthouse streams with hasty showers,
Twice twenty days shall clouds their fleeces drain,
And wash the pavement with incessant rain. 8
Similar beliefs are still entertained by our own folk with
regard to other days about this time of year, such as the
12th of January; the 13th (St Hilary's) ; the 22nd (St
Vincent's); and the 25th (St Pauls) of the same month 4 ;
while the idea of the quarantaine (in the old sense of the word)
occurs in some French rhymes concerning St Medard's Day
(July 8) and the Day of Saints Qervais and Protais (June 19).'
1 R. Inwards, Weather Lore, p. 20 ; The Book of Days, vol. i. p. 214.
* B. Inwards, Weather Lore, pp. 37, 38 ; The Book of Days, vol. i. p. 672.
' Bk i. 183-6.
4 On the last mentioned day the learned writer in The Book of Days
(vol. i. p. 157) as well as B. Inwards (Weather Lore, pp. 15 foil) should be
consulted by those interested in the subject.
• S'il pleut le jonr de Saint M4dard,
U pleut quarante jours plus tard;
S'il pleut le jour de Saint Qervais et de Saint Protais,
U pleut quarante jours apres.
The Book of Days, vol. n. p. 63.
16 Macedonian Folklore
March.
'Atto Mapriy ica\o/caipi Ktj air Avyovaro yeifi&va^.
"Summer sets in with March and Winter with August,"
emphatically declares the popular proverb. In accordance with
this observation omens are especially looked for at this season
of the awakening of Nature. The sight of a lamb, for instance,
is a sign that he who has seen one first will be excessively fond
of sleep during the summer, the animal being regarded as a
symbol of sloth. The opposite conclusion is drawn from the
sight of a sprightly and restless kid.
During the first three days of the month the peasants, and
more particularly their wives and daughters, rise early in the
morning and hurry to the fields, vying with each other which of
them will be the first to hear "the herald melodies of spring."
The call of the cuckoo is anxiously expected, and lucky is he or she
who hears it first. Parties are formed and repair to the fields
on purpose and, as soon as it is heard, they gather wild berries
and bring them home. The voice of the bird is accepted as an
assurance that gloomy winter with its frosts and snows has
departed, and with it has disappeared the necessity of keeping
indoors — a necessity peculiarly distasteful to the southern
temperament. Spring with its congenial freedom is close at
hand. The trees begin to blossom and to burst into bud,
impelled thereto by the soft south-easterly breeze hence known
as the ' tree-sweller ' (o (fyovcneoSevrpiTr)?). This is the glad
message which the cuckoo brings to the Macedonian. The
ancients regarded the appearance of the bird with similar
feelings, as is shown by Hesiod's words: "When the cuckoo
begins to cry cuckoo ! amidst the foliage of the oak and fills
the hearts of men over the boundless earth with joy ' n
However, the modern sage warns us not to be premature in
our rejoicings ; for ei>a$ kovkkos 8e' icavei rrjv avoi\*i " One
cuckoo does not make a spring," another sentiment which finds
its prototype in antiquity.*
i W. and D. 486-7.
a Cp. the ancient proverb pUa xe^&wv lap oi roiei. Arist. Eth. N. I. 7, 15.
January, February and March
17
dmm
Th ions which make the farmer and the
nevert.lv
16 Hvdih eoda cm the duration rf ''keen winter/'
- hate th< en hose Dotes announce the
wch of fine weather. Mischievous urchin* turn tins m-
oount an <\ delight in teasing the unfortunate
rooal-burnen by shouting them.
credited with a malicious sense of humour,
pe from of the peasants
nptuoua a ; ' during the
The cuckoo, viewed from another standpoint, is considered
f dreary desolation, a sentiment which finds ex-
popular saying l/icipf kovkkos, "'lonely as a
cucki rther said of one who has wasted much money
a profitless enterprise t hut " he has paid for a cuckoo the
i nightingale " — top KQ<rTt<r*v o kovkko^ aijhovt. Such
is lb v which the cuckoo has to pay for its popularity. 1
Russian- ijard the cuckoo as "a type of the
But nevertheleas they, in common with most
ook upon it with much respect. 1 Our own
intry-folk are not if to the appearance of the cuckoo,
•liowing rhyi .1 in Lmc^shire, testify :
"Tho makoo atrutii in April,
Flies aw
First cock of bay. 1 '*
TT the Mid known M gyon are likewise
htard irith p md for a similar i^tson. But of all the
1 The fame of S*efc (rd «^i^rd) is also known by the name ruck
(v«4f«MPt ro f*k)i from the cry uurd by tin hiding children. Thii may be worth
noting toy students o( cuckoo^mtoma. It ha* already been conjectured that the
.**tuiu is p» rhapa related to a custom of hunting the cuckoo. See
UmI Thomas, in Folklore, vol. xi.
«<u, n 1
■ Ka !•:«-», Songs ofthd Ruuian PeopU t pp. 211 foil.
• F . rue« and th<« omeua dm ilio call of the
btrd %iicii firtt beard, etc. aee It, luwnrds, Weath SO, 104; 77«t
of U*y», toI. t. pp. WJ
r.
18 Macedonian Folklore
forerunners of the vernal season none is greeted with greater
joy than the swallow. In Macedonia, as in Southern Greece,
the return of the bird is hailed with hearty enthusiasm. Its
building under the eaves, or on the rafters of a house is
welcomed as an omen of wealth, and it is believed that he
who destroys its nest will be punished with freckles on his
face and hands. On the first of March the boys are in the
habit of constructing a wooden image of the bird, revolving on
a pivot, which they adorn with flowers, and with it in their
hands they go round the houses in groups a-gooding, that is
singing a song of congratulations in return for which they receive
various gifts. The following is a specimen of the Swallow-song
in use among the inhabitants of Liakkovikia, a village in south-
eastern Macedonia:
The Swallow-Song.
The swallow is coming from across the black sea.
It has crossed the sea for us and founded a fortress.
It has sat and sung in the middle of March's court
"0 March, my goodly March, and thou dreadful February,
How far hast thou travelled to learn thy letters?
Letters royal, such as children learn?
"The schoolmaster has sent us that thou mayest give us five eggs,
And if thou hast not five eggs, give us the clucking hen,
To lay eggs and brood over them and draw her chickens after her."
March is come : he is welcome ;
The blossoms burst forth, the land is filled with scent.
Out with fleas and bugs, in with health and joy I 1
The allusion to fleas and bugs, irrelevant as it may seem, is
of considerable interest to the folklorist. Both insects appear
again and again in the Macedonian spring and summer cere-
monies, and we shall have an opportunity of returning to them
more than once in the sequel.
The custom of going about with the swallow existed among
1 The original is given in A. A. Tovalov, »'H Kara rb Udyyan.ov Xdpa,' p. 48.
.For variants see Song$ of Modern Greece, p. 174 ; Passow, Nos. 305-308.
January, February and M
in
the ancient Greek* {%t\&Qvl%itv : dyelpetP rfj -%€\i&6vi) f and
one of the swallow-songs popular in antiquity baa fortunately
come down i Bn< the Romans also received the M har-
pring" with oordial hospitality, 3 and so did the
mm and *ed upon the
bird's early arrival as a promise of an abundant harvest, and
upon uard against fire and
lightning, and they bu fche robbing of its neat to bring
ils on the head of the robber."* Indeed the
re very much like
tho*» i' edonia. The first of March is by tradition
part fin u of the Spring. Morning excui>
into the field great vogue. The wooden image of the
swallow finds a parallel in their clay ii the lark, and the
swallow-s li^ in similar compositions sung in honour of Vesna,
the vi as* in, «»i of Lad a, the vernal goddess of love and
On the same day the Macedonian mothers tie round their
ohih)] iting of red and white yarn,
and called after the month (6 fidpr^ t or 1}
papm • Tli d at the sight of a swallow throw this
thread to the bird, as an offering! or place it under a stone. A
few day* after they lift the stone and, if they find beneath it a
swarm of ants, they anticipate a healthy and prosperous year;
hould the thread lie deserted The explanation of
this custom ti haps be sought in some forgot n of
lation betw< ; nod the child which
wore parallel is offered by the practice of some of the
native* oi th Wales who placed the tooth extracted
from be bark of a tree, and * if the
ant* ran a believed that the boy would suffer
nth/' - The presence of the ants is in
ban. Tin, »60 a.
1 F&Utouirr «1 nit hinmdo? Ovid, FktL u
>>*, pp. 211-214. Op, Lho Sol
not take robin'* Mjp; i!
gtt jo«r \+«n broken," "It is anlucky to kiil a tub; k of Day* t
voL L p I
Bonwy. Fnuwr, The Golden Bough, vol. L p. 50.
2—2
20 Macedonian Folklore
Macedonia interpreted symbolically as indicating " health and
abundance " ; but the custom bears a strong general analogy to
the one cited above. Our explanation derives additional support
from another custom which seems to be based on a similar
idea.
The first drawn tooth is kept by the child for a while care-
fully and then is thrown on the roof, accompanied with this
invocation of the crow :
Na, Kovpovva fi\ kokkoXo
Kal £69 fiov atSepevio,
Na. poKavXpb ra kovkkicl,
Na Tpdyyc* 7raft/uioY
"0 dear crow, here is a tooth of bone,
Take it and give me a tooth of iron instead,
That I may be able to chew beans
And to crunch dry biscuits."
Now, the practice of disposing of a child's first tooth in a
more or less mysterious way is well-nigh universal, and so is the
formula which accompanies the action. The closest parallel
to the Macedonian custom is, strangely enough, presented by
the natives of the Seranglao and Gorong archipelagoes, where
the tooth is thrown on the roof. The South Slavonians teach
their children to throw the tooth into a dark corner and say,
" Mouse, mouse, there is a bone tooth ; give me an iron tooth
instead." The words, it will be seen, are almost identical with
those used by the Macedonian children, but the animal appealed
to is, as in the majority of such cases, a mouse or rat, owing to
the firmness and excellence by which the teeth of these rodents
are distinguished. The practice in these cases is explained on the
doctrine of the sympathy which continues to subsist between the
extracted tooth and its former owner. 1 This idea connects the
Macedonian custom with the swallow custom already discussed >
and the appeal to the crow is probably due to an adaptation
of the tooth-ceremony to some child's crow-song correspond-
ing to the swallow-song, a hypothesis which becomes more than
1 J. G. Frazer, The Golden Bough, vol. 1. pp. 52, 53.
//, February and March
:>!
aetuall)
BIMM w
proba >ug {Kopmvtapa) was
actually known in antiquity and is mentioned by Athenaeus 1
ti.»ii with the swallow-song (xeKi&ovtana). In both
bird appealed t »f good luck
I m both eases something conneoted with the child
in to the swallow, a tooth to the <
The m both Bee be to draw upon the child
i rough the Ejmf of things which
belonged to it
Tb hree day rch are known by die name of
Dryn lOfiLiaisy During those days the pe:> faun
from washing clothes and from bathing. They do net prone
their trees Dor do they plant; for they believe that the trees
will at once v. The same belief holds with r i the
nd all Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.
Asa proof that those days are unlucky, especially for gardening
port* to i iv the following experiment :
Take sev rip them of their leaves, mark them each
with the name of a day of the week, and thru pat tin m in a
jug filled with water, If you examine them a few days I
you will all put forth new leaves* except
those marked with t> - of the fata] d
I ij t Uaoedo&ia the superstition prevails that a
should not di\i his parishioners on which da]
k will be the first of March, or he will lose his wife.
in of thi F is envelope scanty, the usual
ofs. It ma\ v have arisen in an
effort on tin irch to prevent the people from
cuntimm _■ itomarj on thil day. In any case,
Ba a historic survival from 1
pend entiielj
Oil I asons,
Tl j peasants, partial as they are to March, are
'•liiid to hill The bitterness ot March winds has
earned the month the nickname of the 'Flayer* (VBapTi^).
i59,
* W* th*U *p*ak on UiU lubject at gimtif length in dealing with the hioo
nptr»uUoi, u August.
22 Macedonian Folklore
His mutability of mood and addiction to sudden changes are
emphasized by numerous sayings:
c O Maprr)? a>5 to yccofjua to yfro<f>d€i t
a>? to ft pa 8 v to ftpofiaei.
"Sir March before midday
With frost the lamb will slay ;
But, ere the sun doth sink,
With heat he makes it stink."
Again,
TAdprr)<; €Vt /cal %di$ia icdvei •
IIot€ te\ac€t y 7TOT6 yeXdev.
" March, like a baby spoilt, is full of whims :
At times he cries, at times with fun he brims."
Our own peasants, & propos of the inconstancy of March
weather, observe : " March comes in like a lamb, and goes out
like a lion." 1 The reverse is also supposed to be true.
His apparently unaccountable transitions from a fine to
a foul temper are explained by the Macedonians on the
hypothesis that March has two wives, one of whom is young
and fair, gay and laughter-loving; the other old and ugly,
morose and peevish. When he looks at the former, he smiles
with pleasure; when at the latter, he frowns in anger.
The appetizing effect of March's chilly blasts is described as
the month's excessive greediness :
MdpTiy? irevreyiobfiaTos
Ka\ iraKi 7r€ivao-p,€vos.
" March never, never has his fill ;
Meals five a day : he's hungry still."
The sun of March is supposed to be fatal to a girl's
complexion :
'07Tft)^et KOpTJV CLKplf$r) %
ToO Maprrj rjXios p,r)v Ttj Stfj.
"Who has a daughter fair
Of March's sun beware.*
1 B. Inwards, Weather Lore, p. 24. Cp. "If the old year goes out like a
lion, the new year will come in like a lamb," ib. p. 5.
January, February and March 23
A red and white thread worn round the wrist is supposed
to act as a charm and to preserve a damsel from the rays
of March's sun.
To revert from the ornamental to the useful, the folk-sage
counsels his friends in didactic fifteen-syllable verse :
Toi> Maprtf %v\a <j>v\aye* firjv /cayfrys ra iraXov/cia.
" In the month of March save thy firewood, and do not burn up thy
stakes."
The same idea is implied in another saw, rather too
Hogarthian for translation :
Mdprr)<; opdoyia-Tq^ teal irdkovKOKavr^.
It would not be amiss to conclude the delinquencies of this
eccentric month with the Macedonian version of a legend
familiar to students of our own North-country weather-lore.
It is said that there was once a poor old woman, and she had
an only goat, which she had preserved most anxiously through
a long and severe winter. At the end of March, deceived by
an exceptionally fine day, she ventured to let her goat out
to graze, and, in the exuberance of her joy, she defied March
by snapping her fingers at him and exclaiming in derision,
"pritz March, I fear thee no longer!" But alas! her self-
congratulation was premature. March, exasperated by the
insult, determined to punish the old lady and to this end he
borrowed three days from his neighbour April. During this
new lease of life he brought about so keen a frost, that the
poor old woman's goat was starved to death. Another form
of the same story, prevalent at Liakkovikia, allots to the old
woman three kids, and adds that not only the kids but their
mistress also were frozen to death on a spot outside the village,
to this day called The old woman 8 leap (T?/9 yprjd^ to TnjSrjfjLa). 1
1 A. A. TovcLov, ' 'H icarA to Tldyycuow Xupa, ' p. 44.
24 Macedonian Folklore
This story will bring to most readers' minds the old Scotch
rhyme of
The Borrowing Days.
March borrowed from Aperill
Three days and they were ill.
The first began wi' wind and weet,
The next come in with snaw and sleet,
The third was sic a bitter freeze,
It froze the birds' claws to the trees.
A variant of this rhyme alludes to " three hoggs upon a
hill" March for the purpose of " garring them dee," borrowed
three days "from Aperill/' and tried the "wind and weet" etc.
However the sheep, one is glad to hear, survived the ordeal, for
it is related that
When the three were past and gane,
The three silly hoggs came hirpling hame. 1
1 The first version I had from the lips of an old Scotchman, and it differs
slightly from the text of the Newcastle Leader, reproduced in St James's Gazette,
April 2, 1901, whence comes the latter variant given above. For other versions
see B. Inwards, Weather Lore, pp. 27 foil.
Several interesting details concerning this mysterious loan and the kindred
superstition of the Faoilteaeh, or the first days of February, borrowed by that
month from January, are to be found in The Book of Days, vol. i. p. 448.
CHAPTER IV.
EASTERTIDE.
It is perhaps more than a coincidence, and at all events
quite appropriate, that the great Christian feast of the Resurrec-
tion — redemption and universal renovation — should fall at
that time of year when Nature herself awakening hears
The new-creating word, and starts to life,
In every heightened form, from pain and death
For ever free. 1
This coincidence reveals itself in many curious customs con-
nected with the festival, and enables us to interpret several
popular practices which otherwise would be unintelligible.
In fact, we most probably have here one of the numerous
instances of old pagan observances surviving beneath the
tolerant cloak of Christianity — the past peeping through the
mask of the present. It is a thesis no longer in need of
demonstration that the new religion, wherever it has penetrated,
from the shores of Crete to those of Iceland, has everywhere
displayed a far-seeing eagerness to enlist in its service what
might assist its own propagation in existing belief and prac-
tice. Macedonia forms no exception to this general rule.
The heathen festival on which Easter was grafted in Greek-
speaking countries most likely was the Lesser Eleusinia, the
return of Persephone, which symbolised the resurrection of
Nature and which the ancient Hellenes celebrated about this
1 Thomson's Season*.
26 Macedonian Folklore
time of year. The modern Macedonians are, of course, utterly
unconscious of any incongruity between the creed which they
profess and the customs which they observe. To the peasant,
Easter is simply a season of rejoicing. If he were pressed for
the reason of his joy, he would probably be unable to give a
clear answer, or, if he gave one, red eggs and roasted lambs
would be found to play as important a part in his conception
of the festival as the religious ceremonies which accompany and
sanctify the proceedings. His view is vividly expressed in the
children's rhymes which are often heard in Macedonia at this
season :
H6t€ vdpff* 7) Hao")(a\id f
Me rd KOKKLva t avyd,
Mi t dpvovBi *9 rov rafid, etc.
" Oh, when will Easter come, bringing with her red eggs, a lamb in a
tray, etc.*
The Easter festivities are ushered in by a long period of
strict abstinence known as the Great Forty-Day Fast (17 MeydXrj
lapa/coo-TJ) — Lent). The two Sundays before Lent are re-
spectively called Meat-Sunday (' Kiroicped) and Cheese-Sunday
(Tvpivtj). The week between them answers to the Carnival
of Western Christendom, and during it, in the big towns on
the coast the usual merriment is heightened by masquerades
(tcapvaftdXia or fiaatcapdSes), a custom which, as the name
implies, has been borrowed from Italy and is not to be confused
with similar observances prevalent in the interior of the
country at other times of the year. It also corresponds with
the Russian Maslyanitsa, or Butter- Week. Cheese-Sunday is
made the occasion of many interesting observances. Before
proceeding to a description of these, however, it may be well
to note some points of resemblance between the new and the
old celebrations.
The modern Western Carnival has been traced to the
ancient Roman Saturnalia, and this parallelism has led folk-
lorists to conjecture that Lent also may be the descendant
"under a thin disguise, of a period of temperance which was
annually observed, from superstitious motives, by Italian
Eastertide
27
lung before the Christian era/' 1 Should this hypo-
rablished, then the Eastern Meat- Week might
[bed to the old I ahich was the i>
• irt of the Saturnalia, The Eastern Lent might
r be compared with the feet which preceded the celebra-
moration of Dem<
lost
daughter. But pi Scation is hardly possible owi
itueas of th> nee at our command. Wbal
Otlni rtain is the (act that from food an<l
ora ition of all < was and still is
practised by various races at seed-time "for the purpoa
by promoting the growtL of *"* a kind <<f oh
i-tion which ia snppoc
the sower and the seed.
{KvptaKTJ Tt}$ Tvptw
Th village rise early in the morning and,
divided u ml partiee,go forth collecting bundles of fire-
i t w). pile op tope of the heighte and hills
^hbourhood. These preparation*! completedj they
iuse t! as during the reel of by throwing
apanied with th<M my*-
" Whithersoever I may the flea
I rack " (oir way r) aaytra kj) o ^/rt/\\<K tcaTa7r<
of Macedonia these slings aie replaced by
tnel Lj oottftrocted of a fngmenl of ■
-ho. ih in passed through a hole at the i
stock. The i e long nail as a rule — laid in the gi
of the stock, is propelled by a string drawn tight acroa the
bow and held fast b; whiob is nailed fock,
i if as a sort of trigger. At nightfall tires built up
in the morning are kindlei jump ovei them.
G Prutr, Tht mjh. roL n
- foil.
pa,* p. 41.
28 Macedonian Folklore
Identical customs are observed in several Slavonic countries.
"In some parts of Russia," says Ralston, "the end or death of
winter is celebrated on the last day of the Butter- Week, by the
burning of ' the straw Mujik ' — a heap of straw, to which each
of the participators in the ceremony contributes his portion."
In Bulgaria "during the whole week, the children amuse them-
selves by shooting with bows and arrows, a custom which... is
supposed, by some imaginative writers, to have referred in
olden times to the victory obtained by the sunbeams — the
arrows of the far-darting Apollo — over the forces of cold and
darkness." 1
The custom of kindling bonfires on the first Sunday in Lent
and of throwing missiles into the air prevails in many parts of
Western Europe. In Swabia the arrows and stones are replaced
by thin round pieces of wood. In all these cases of pagan
survival 8 the bonfires are built by boys on the crests of moun-
tains and hills as in Macedonia. Whether the Greeks of this
province have borrowed the pastime of stone and arrow shooting
from their Slav neighbours or have inherited it from their own
remote ancestors, 1 it would be difficult to say. But in any
case it is an interesting relic of bygone times. Apart from any
symbolical or ritual significance which may or may not lurk
in the practice, the use of the sling and the bow by the
Macedonian boys at play is instructive as a conspicuous
instance of a custom outliving in the form of a game the
serious business of which it originally was only an imitation.
Toy bows and slings are extremely popular among boys all
over Europe at certain times of the year, and keeping up, as
they do, the memory of a warlike art now extinct, are regarded
by ethnologists as sportive survivals of ancient culture, if not
of ancient cult. 4 The bonfires and the flea will reappear in
connection with the Midsummer festivities.
1 Ralston, Songs of the Russian People, p. 210.
8 J. G. Frazer, The Golden Bough, vol. m. pp. 238 foil.
8 In ancient times the Kaanians in Asia Minor, who regarded themselves as
being of Cretan origin, used to tarn oat armed, "hitting the air with their
spears and saying that they were expelling the foreign gods.** Hdt. i. 172.
4 Tylor, Primitive Culture, voL i. p. 73.
Eastertide
In ning of Cheese-Sunday it is the custom for the
nbers of the community to call on their elder
nd godmothers, in order to b<
>a and beseech their blessing. Woi «to<
her, take with them a cake, an orange or a lemon
I w [mm the) call The syto»
-ince
way of all tradition. It may be worth while, !
- amiable net "t <j song
nnr own folk also. Ou the mid Sunday of Lent it was the
o-flftatfarutgr, that is to pay a formal ^ne's
ie female one, and to lake bo tin do
tHght gift, such as a cake or a trinket v itself
van r Sunday.' The similarity between the
old ! and the mod*-: practice is wdl
I [erriok'e lines to I tianeme:
Hi- fa thee a sttunell 1 bring,
ft-motheriug ;
btasaeth ■
i that hlei me. 3
The an ry peon] be day.
At supper-time a tripod is Bel Dear lb or in the middle
of tli i npon it i> placed s wooden «>i copper tray
poriwd sit ili« members
of the fun ni\ croea-legged, witli the chief of the household at
bead. '1 kst is as ius as befits the
and a cake forme Monona il
commi i khe jroungar
ueel to their allien (*damw or &d%ovv
rdmia absolution, after which pari the
i «J there fallows an amusing game
• ■ ; _ , ' aiding to our Christ
Bobbing Apple. A long thread is tied
* The UiMtk of l>atj», vol. I. p. 8S6.
kfc*
1 it 886.
30 Macedonian Folklore
to the end of a stick, and from it is suspended a bit of con-
fectionery (j£a\/8a?), or a boiled egg. The person that holds it
bobs it towards the others who sit in a ring, with their mouths
wide open, trying to catch the morsel by turns. Their struggles
and failures naturally cause much jollity and the game soon
gets exciting. This amusement is succeeded by songs sung
round the table and sometimes by dancing.
A quaint superstition attached to the proceedings of this
evening deserves mention. If anyone of those present happens
to sneeze, it is imperative that he should tear a bit off the front
of his shirt, in order to ward off evil influences.
KaOaprj 'fiSofid&a.
The days that follow form a sharp contrast to this feast.
With Monday begins Cleaning- Week (KaOaprj 'fiSo/idBa), a
period of puriflcation both of body and of soul. The cooking
utensils are washed and polished with a vast deal of bustle and
noise; the floors are scrubbed, all traces of the preceding
rejoicings are scrupulously effaced, and the peasant household
assumes an unwonted look of puritanical austerity. The gloom
is deepened by the total abstention from meat and drink,
which is attempted by many and accomplished by a few during
the first three days of the week. This period of rigid and
uncompromising fast, called Tplpepo, is concluded on Wednesday
evening. Then a truly lenten pie of boiled cabbages and
pounded walnuts, called Tp^epoirnrra, is solemnly eaten and,
undoubtedly, relished by those who succeeded in going through
the three days' starvation.
In some places, however, the sanctimonious misery of this
week is disturbed by certain feeble reflections of the festivities
which went before. These spectral revivals of gaiety in various
districts take various forms, and as a rule are confined to
Monday. At Salonica, for instance, on the KaOaprj Aevrepa a
band of youths dressed in kilts, so as to represent brigands, but
wearing their masks on the back of their heads, are allowed by
the police to play at highwaymen. They parade the streets,
with a roasted lamb, stuck on the top of a pole, at the head of
?09ti Hide
:;i
Eig EUephtic songs, and when they have
a point of vantage, hold
tort lr th<
unwilling Then they ad,
where ink >irig, and make
ipuliir at Eton/
res ^nd Melenik the pec tir <<> pioniea in the
i i» a hill
tag til.- festival
told i nil out the serpent" (vi ftyaXow
ill hut meaningless phrase, hut
a belief akin to tin Highland
that "a week previous tu St Bridget > Da) the serpents are
„ed to lea Mind/ 1 ' The dat>
ipoodfl roughly with
in which L tu Tk
po*s* rani the on that hotioe baa
ay r m with ophiolati ema to | >- - j i * r
ife derived from the - - annual
Al kin, during tl *e masquerades.
with
re array themseh skixu, covering head
and fece beneath a oonical cap (mXmijct) decorated with hV
and tas*el«, whih of raoostron rom their
ilv adoi meets in the
examining their bead-gear far coins and g as
ay rind. They also tie in wait round the rorners
to frighten the unwary passer-by into liberality. Finally
ike then toe in the middle of
ved for dancing {fieao^&pt)^ and there I
muk their sportive robb(
1 For i v«n >g account of thi» faHtivul ee« The Book of
toL tL p. S65.
1 J. G. Campbell, Ih'jhtantls and ZUmdi *>f S.*„tUtnd t
* Tji vol, n. p.
32 Macedonian Folklore
Tov Aa£dpov.
The Feast of Lazarus is also in some districts made the
occasion of song and rejoicing. At Nigrita, for example, on
that day girls and boys go about the streets singing and dancing
and collecting presents — a form of begging known to the
ancients by the name of dyepp.6*;, and to our own peasants as
going a-corning, gooding, and so forth. The dancers are called
AaJZaplvcus, and their songs Aa^apcapd or Aa^apccorcKa (sc.
rpayovBia). Most of these compositions have been handed
down from mother to daughter for ages, and unfortunately
have suffered much in transmission. I give below some of the
least mutilated fragments which I was enabled to pick up.
As the reader will see, the subject of the song is for the most
part adapted to the circumstances of the person to whom it is
addressed.
To a damsel betrothed.
IIa>9 7T£uf * 6 Tovp/co? r aKoyo kyj 6 <S>pdry/co$ to tcapdfit
"Era irai&i §c e*va$ veiovraticos fie rrjv Ka\r)v dirdyei.
'2 rd yovard ttjp eiraipve, \ rd pAria rrjv <f>tXov<r€,
'2 rd fjuLria, \ ra fjLar6<f>vK\a kj) dvdfieaa \ rd <f>pv'Bca.
"As the Turk dallies with his steed and the Frank with his ship,
Even so dallies a youth with his fair one.
He will take her on his knees and kiss her on the eyes,
On the eyes, on the eyelids, and between the eyebrows."
II.
To a love-lorn youth.
Kei V dyairas, Xe&evrr) fi, aretXe yvpeyfte,
XreZke rrjv dSep<f>r) aov irpogevrfriaaa.
Krj hv he aov SdxTOW, ird\i avpe fiovayps.
'Ave/Sa '? to irrjydSi, kj) dpyoXafirjae,
Na fiatpyrovv fcoireWaw o\o €*fiop<f>ai$ t
NdpOjj KCU K€IW) 7T0V 0€? 9 K€LVf) V OJOTTf^
Eastertide 33
KXi^* tt?i\ Xefilp-rri a*, rcXty' tijv, K\isfr ri)v wepStKa^
Up* Tf)v \ t& leopjSovXoyLa, 1 \ to, \fr}X& fJovvd,
K«4 ttov XaXovp r dn&ovia xai r aypta wovXid,
** Where II • ! wells, my bravo youth, thither send and ask.
Sen. ter as a match -maker.
Am: her not to thee, go thyself.
the fountain and set to wooing,
That maidens passing fair may be gathered there,
That amongst them may also come she whom thou lovest.
Then carry her off, my brave youth, carry her off, carry off the pretty
partridge,
Take her to the hills, to the high mountain-peaks,
Where the nightingales and the wild binds sing."
III.
To a newly -married woman,
llovtyv&a * 11 , ri rpai*€vecai tca\ o-epvet? to tcapdpi ;
To iroK vn ptjv Tpavevwpai teal aipvw ro ttapdpi ;
*rvyoi *^a> am pa fjaatXsa teal ireffepov d<f>£vrt) t
Kal TttBepa fia&iXiaaa ical y<0 iSacrtXoirovXa*
**lfy dear little bride, wherefore dost thou draw thyself up, and hold
thy bead high ?'
• How «uj I but draw myself up and hold my head high ?
I have m king for a husband and a lord for I futlier-in-law,
My mother-in-law is a que^n, Mid | princess V 9
IV.
To a young mother.
a V" <rk xdp'at a Ocbs ra Svb TT€pt&T€pov$ta t
May a u\ vd ra wepitcaXffK Kvpto p vd top Sofa £17 9,
^atpjjaai \ to ydfio thy, v % uXXd%r]s f, ti} X a P** T7 ^'
Na Siijs* xj] Vo top fcop<f>o n;v Trep&itcta pa yvpl^ovp,
TlepSixia, xpvaQTTtpOixa, %pvad paXafUiTGPta.
1 Hi£s word U now to me, bat I take it to be a synonym of Kop4>ofiouina t
* k •ynonym of the dim. vvfoMa, * a dear little bride/ from the Bulgarian
ItrtflsU
34 Macedonian Folklore
" Mother to whom God has given this pair of tender doveleta,
Mother dear, pray for them and praise the Lord for thwm
Mayest thou rejoice at her marriage, drees for her wedding;
Mayest thou witness a flock of young partridges encircling her bosom.
Young partridges, golden partridges, partridges of purest gold."
The enterprising lover.
"Eva? Xefihrnis teal vreXf)? teal 'vd *£io iraXXntedpi
Me rats yjvxaipcux irep irarel^ Ty x<opa 4>ofi€pi£ei*
Tij y£>pa ifyofikpify teal rovs KorZapirairijSef
" r§A So fJL re rrj KaXovSd pov, yui 86 p re rif KaXrj pou,
Na <f>iuaa<o <rrriTia Trerp&rd teal a/cakcus papiiapevuus.
Na <f>icui<r<0 teal r ak&vl yuov '? rrjv atepa ti) OaXdaaa.
Na KOCFKivl^Q) pakafia vd irityr fiapyapirdpi,
Kg Vo rd tcooicivUrpxiTa vd hlv T379 Aa£aplvai?"
" A brave youth, a noble gallant lad,
Is strolling armed with knives and threatening the village ;
He threatened the village and its notables thus:
*Come, give my fair love to me, come give up my fair one,
That I may build a stone palace with marble stairs,
That I may build my threshing-floor on the shore of the sea,
To sift gold, and let pearls drop beneath,
And of the sittings give a share to the Maids of Lazarus. 1 "
At Liakkovikia the same custom prevails on the morning
of Palm Sunday (Kvpca/cr) tc3i/ Batcov). As the congregation
streams out of church, the girls of the village form parties
of threes and fours and, each holding a gold-embroidered
handkerchief or two, go about singing outside each house
songs appropriate to the age and condition of the occupants.
The carol is accompanied by more or less elegant contortions
of the body and vigorous wavings of the handkerchiefs. The
songstresses are known as Bdtarpa^ or 'Palm Maids' and
their carols as BatrtKa. 1
1 A. A. Tovclov, **H Kara to Udyyatop Xtapa,' p. 45.
Eastertide
35
Holy Week (MeyaXf) ^ffbofidha)-
ffoty Thursday (Mey aki) Yli^rf)). In some districts on
this* day, as well as on Lady Day (March 25th), the people
in the habit of hanging from the balconies ami the windows
ir houses reil kerchiefs or sashea On this 'lay also the
Pa>sehal eggs are dyed. The peasant mother takes tin
coloured egg and with it crosses (hiaaravpwvu) her chilli's face
and neck f saying : Kokkivq cdv r avyo< xai yepo aav rrj 7r*Tpa>
that is, ' i gTow red as is this egg, and strong as a
h. looq of the Panaghia
and is left there until the following year, when a new one takes
its place. The red colour of the Easter eggs and of the kerchiefs
timed ab t'olklorists as referring to the
s 'htness of spring. On this day they also make a kind of
called from their shape " turtle-doves " ( Se/f oxTotpats),
h a clove or a grain of pepper «l«»ing duty as an eye.
7 Ylapao-Kcvt}). On this day the
peasants eschew all kinds of food prepared with vin
bees' jay, it was on this day that the Jews moul
our Lords lips with rinegar.
// | WtydXo 2£a/J/9aTo). They are careful not
wash their heads, lest their hair should turn grey.
(llwrya, Haaya Xapirptj, "Bright").
fat nan ^ponds to the Russian Sct/elluya and may
compared « D Easter, 1 both of which appellations
suggest brightness. The Beenneet&oa is celebrated twice.
I at a midnight mass on the eve {Upton) * A vd<rra<ri$\ t and
again aid-day on Easter Day (Aevrtpa WiHitrratrts).
Tlw first is also called Ka\<k A6yo$ t or the " Good Word/*
: . I for the day is read out in the ehurchyard beneath the
*tar-h immediately followed by the hymn
beginning with I Is "Christ is risen" {Xpicrro*; ni4<mj) t
in which the whole congregation joins. The announcement
1 A, Sat. Efatft, O.R.G. Qrifrf, » goddess of light or spring, in honour of
* fectivsJ wu celebrated In April, whence thin month wa» called Ea*U>r-
3
«8
36 Macedonian Folklore
of the "good word" is greeted with loud peals of fire-arms
and with the sound of bells or the wood gongs (ayfiavrpa) still
in use in some parts of the country. In the midst of this uproar
the priest holds up a lighted candle and calls on the congregation
to " Come and receive light " (Acvtc Tut/Sere ^<5<?). The faithful
obey the summons with great alacrity. There is an onrush at
the priest, and those who get near him first kindle their candles
at the very fountain-head of light ; the less fortunate, or leas
muscular, ones have to be content with illumination at second
hand. 1 But the result from a purely aesthetic point of view is
the same. The dark night is suddenly lighted up with hundreds
of small flickering flames, trembling in the hands of people
anxious to escape from the fire-arms, squibs, and crackers, which
boom and hiss in dangerous proximity all round them.
On the tapers secured at the cost of so much exertion, not
unattended by some risk to life and limb, is set a propor-
tionally high value. The miraculous powers attributed to
these Easter tapers may be compared to those which were
ascribed to the Candlemas candles in Catholic times in
England.' The women, on their return from church, use
these tapers for the purpose of burning the bugs, in the pious
hope that they will thus get rid of them for ever — a custom
which agrees well with the extermination of fleas : the avowed
object of the Macedonian bonfires.
The ceremony of " receiving light " is, of course, symbolical,
and true believers entertain no doubt that the light is the light
of Christ. Sceptical students, however, have long since arrived
at the conclusion that here again we are confronted by a survival
of paganism : that the " new light " is only a cousin german to
the " new fire " and to the bonfires, customary at this time of
year in many widely severed lands, and that the real remote
1 So far as my own experience goes, I am unable to confirm Mr Frazer's
impious suspicion " that the matches which bear the name of Lucifer have some
Bhare in the sudden illumination " (The Oolden Bough, vol. in. p. 247). The
people are too unenlightened to venture on such illicit methods of illumination,
and far too economical to waste a match, when there are so many candles
burning close at hand.
9 For some verses setting forth these wonderful virtues see The Book of
Days, vol. x. p. 213.
\
Faster fiii,
37
meaning of all these kindlings is to procure heat and sunshine
for the crops by means of magical ceremonies 1 — the destruction
of noxious vermin being a later development. The keeping of
the fire alive throughout the Paschal Week, which is the
practice in leveral parts of Macedonia* forms another proof
of the underlying notion. To make the case stronger, in some
untry until quite recently the people indulged
in the annual cremation of a straw * Judas' — an effigy which
finds its counterpart in many quarters and which is interpr
as a representative of the old tree-spirit Of spirit of vegetation.*
To n i ice.
The congregation having lighted their tapers turn towards
id find tl»e doors closed. They knock upon than
chant 19: u Lift the gates, ye mien of ours T and
c-rnal gates be lifted M will enter Christ, the King
of glory ! " To this a voice from within answers : "Who is this
King of gloi oee without reply "HeiaaLotd
and p o w e r fu l He is a Lord mighty in war!" 1 Thereupon
-oors arc thrown open, and the congregation troop into the
tiding, v -' sumed.
e words H Christ is risen * are the signal for breaking the
long fast id many take to church a red egg and
h f >s soon as the words are uttered, they devour
with pardonable eagerness. After service the peasant m others
atjeretly place under their children's pillows red eggs, and
ike in the Doming, they are told
that this is a present brought in the dead of night by
Patchatia. a female personification of Easter, just as English
children believe, or used to believe, that the stocking which
O. Fraier, The i(ih t vol. rn. pp. MS foil.
5 lb. p. 814. Tho custom still survive* in a vigorous form at Therapia, the
fashionable summer resort of Cousi The native* of that suburb are
la Ihs habit of ■! Friday a number of ' Jews * made of cast-off
atiifftvl with straw. Thi hrtmiel* of Maj 2, 1902, contain* a
) dcseriptinu of tho custom hy its Constantinople correal
M- A*ert wv\at oi d>x*' T «* 1***^ «** /rdp0irr« Ti>\at alwnai, tlatXgfoerai y±p 6
5a*At»i nj* Wfitf Xpivrbi /* ■■ Tfl o&r<n 6 paai\tit Hp fcSifiyt ; '* »• Kvfuot Kparai6t
sal fl War s i , Kvpiot Jcrgcpdi '* «%•" 4. A* Vovelov, ''II rara t6 Wdyyator Xui/w,'
38 Macedonian Folklore
is hung from the bedpost on Christmas Eve is filled by Santa
Claus.
To the second service, which takes place in the day-time,
the people go with lighted tapers, and when it is over, the
congregation embrace, forgiving and forgetting mutual offences,
and salute each other with the formula: "Christ is risen,"
to which the answer is " He is risen indeed ! " ( % A\r)0&?
aviarrj), and this continues to be the regular form of greeting
until Ascension Day. The Easter feast lasts three days, during
which visits are exchanged, the visitors being presented with
a red egg. The piice de resistance of the Easter banquet is
a lamb roasted whole \^^ayrdpi). Indeed so indispensable
is this item, that it has given rise to a proverb, Uao~xa\td
X<*>pi>$ dpvl Be yiperat, " Easter without a lamb is a thing that
cannot be/' applied to those whose ambition exceeds their
means.
On Easter Tuesday the people resort to the open country,
where the girls dance and the youths amuse themselves by
shooting at the mark (arrjfid&i), wrestling (irdXaifia), jumping
(7n;8i7/ia), running (rpeljifto), the throwing of heavy stones
(piXvovv rrj irirpa) and similar sports, all possible successors
to the old Greek games.
A favourite song at Easter is one beginning as follows :
*Hp0€ to M£ya XdftfiaTO, fjpff* 17 MeydXrj IH^rtf
*Hp0e k 17 AafjLirpo/cvpia/cr) fie top kclKo top X070.
f H fidv d\\d%€i top vyib §c rj d8ep<f>q top £<i>P€i,
Top %d>p to ypvaot^ovpapOy yfivao fia\afiaT€Pto.
Kal Kipriaav teal irdrfvap pa irdp pa fieraXdfiovp.
"Holy Saturday is come and Holy Thursday too,
The Bright Sunday is also come with the Good Word.
A mother dresses her son and his sister girds him,
She girds him with a gold girdle, a girdle of pure gold.
They set out to participate in the sacrament, etc."
The sequel is only a variant of the gruesome story published
elsewhere. 1
1 See Songs of Modern Greece, p. 184, "The Excommunicated."
Ea&tertidi
88
In some places, as Serres, the fire is not allowed to go out
igh the Paschal Week (iltaicattjjaipos edSopd?), which is
considered as one day.
nday after Easter, or St Thomas's Day (rov tafia).
Sunday is also celebrated with great eclat After
no the pillagers go out to an open space where
ports ar. to be held. At Nigrita the favourite spot is on
og banks oi a watercourse (Xukko^), To that place
may early in the forenoon be st< ring a miscellaneous
crowd oi | folk in festive mood and attire, A group
of some twenty oi thirty maids, with snow-white kerchiefs
over their heads, lea- ssion, singing various songs,
among which the following in perhaps the most popular:
'11 MapovBta *Xi tutor taaa Aevrepa pepa Kti^ae
rrcirj yia 'arjfio^ayfui, V^/io^aj^a, 7TaTO^ft>/xa,
Gtcerrapvia Sh> l\a^e, p.ov *Xd^e T * <*py v P Taawl t
Kai tcpovei pi a real tcpovei 8vo, teal te poire t rptfc teal riaaapes,
weae r aai}fio\tAsp.a teal a/ceiraae rr) Mapovfitd.
Wik}} XaXiraav €$ya%€, u XaXtTtra /»", cr/ctae rd fiovvd,
jf) fidva p! fitfjvvfia, pa <f>ovKaXurp rpc avXa
orpwa* rov Kap.oy^a. "
4 if ami. , l set out riday
r- ©arth, flooring-oaring
took mmoQ spade, but look a silver spade,
strikes once, she strikes twice, she strikes three and four times,
Aii iq silver-earth and 00 veered up Moroudi;u
She sent ' 'lie mountains
And u*m to my mother a message to sweep the courts clean.
To ftpraul the carpet ,w
The song is not of a very high order as poetry, yet it is
inter- tferring to an everyday occupation of the
• en of the district.
to the lake of the aame name not far from Nigrita.
n habitants smear the floors of their
40
Macedonian Folklore
Having reached the rendezvous, the damsels disperse and
pick from the stones in the torrent-bed a kind of moss locally
known as /^a^o, and with it they dye their finger-tips and
palms. In this excursion they are usually escorted by a
cavalcade of young men, and, while they are busy embellishing
their hands, their cavaliers run races. In the meantime the
sports are in full swing. The prizes given to the winners vary
according to the different events. Thus, for instance, the
winner at running gets a lamb or a kid. He slings it across
his shoulders and, preceded by an ear-rending band of drums
(vraovXia) and pipes (govpvaSes), leads the crowd away ; the
damsels follow dancing and singing. This event comes off in
the morning. After lunch take place wrestling matches, the
combatants being stripped to the waist. The prize for this
event is likewise a lamb or kid, and the victor is greeted with
loud rolling of drums, shrill screaming of pipes, firing of pistols
and flint-locks, and promiscuous shouting and cheering from
the crowd. These somewhat discordant noises gradually sub-
side into song, and dancing ensues.
This is only a local festival, but on the 2nd of May, I was
told, there are held international games in which join wrestlers
from as far as Sirpa, a village fifteen minutes' walk from
Nigrita. The prizes on that occasion are on a proportionally
larger scale, a bull or an ox being awarded to the first winner,
and a ' yearling goat ' (pjfXt&pt) to the second best
The Feast of Rousa,
On the feast of Mid -Pentecost (MeaQwevTtjtco&Tt)), that
is on the twenty-fifth day after Easter, occurs a ceremony
which has for its object the warding off of scarlatina {kok-
tctviro-a). At Melenik it is called Rousa or Rosa, a designation
which some of the natives derive from the crimson colour of
the eruption, accompanying the fever; but which may possibly
be a remnant of the old Roman Rosalia or Feast of the R
Before entering upon a description of the rite as performed
at the present day in Macedonia, it will be well to glance
at the history of the festival in some other parts of the Greek
Eastertide
41
world. The name of the Roman festival (Pov<rd\ta) is pre-
served among the peasants of the Peloponnesus, though it is
do longer applied to a feast of roses. It is the common
designation of a Feast of the Dead held on the Saturday
before Whit-Sunday. This transference of the name, according
to some authorities, 1 points to a closer relation of the modern
observance to the ancient Greek Feast of Flowers (* AvOearijpta)
— -a three days' festival of Dionysos, in the month of Anthe-
steriou, that is about the end of February and bngin ning of
March — which also was in a large measure a Feast of the
Dead.
Colonel Leake, writing at the beginning of the nineteenth
century, records some interesting details concerning the feast
at Parga. "They (viz. the customs) were collected on the
1st of If ay, and the seven days following, when there was a
festival (wainrjyvpi) at the expense of Venice, which was called
the Rosalia (?) r Pwtra\ta). On the eighth day, the 'Pa>cra-
\t&rat t or keepers of the feast of Rosalia, had a sham fight
(ir\a<TTQv tro\€fiQv\ of two parties dratted, one as Italians,
the other as Turks, The latter were made prisoners and
carried before the Proveditore, who dismissed them with a
present. It was customary for the Proveditore on this occasion
to pardon an exile or criminal for whom the archons might
intercede." 1
The festival as performed at Melenik has nothing to do
either with the dead or with customs and criminals. Its aim
is purely sanitary, and it is exclusively confined to children
of both sexes. The children rise betimes and assemble in a
place fixed upon on the eve. Three girls are deputed to go
round to three different houses and beg at each of them a
small quantity of Amir, which they bring to the meeting-place.
Thifl flour is handed to a girl who must bear a name unique
in the neighbourhood, She sifts it with a sieve which she
holds behind her back, then kneads it and forms it into
1 See the viewa of Prof. Politis naiTiinarised in Mr Beanell Rodd'a The
Cutlnm* and Lore of Modern Greece, p. 139.
1 Leake, Travel* in Northern Greece, vol. r. p. 524. Note II. to Cfa. V.
On Parga.
Macedo akin Folklore
ring-shaped cakes (/coXovpta), which are baked in a small
toy-oven built for the nonce. While this is doing, the rest
of the girls and boys of the party run round to other houses
in the neighbourhood and collect flour, butter, honey, sesame-
oil, etc. Oat of these materials the eldest among them make
a Dumber of little rolls, which are baked in an ordinary public
oven, and cook other viands. When all is ready, boys and
girls sit down to a banquet, followed by songs and dancing.
Towards evening the party breaks up, and the children disperse
to their several homes.
The ring-shaped cakes, which were made by the girl of the
unique name and baked in the specially built little oven, are
divided among them and are hung up to dry behind a door,
Whenever anyone of the children who participated in the fite
is attacked by scarlatina, or any kindred disease, a pic<
these cakes is pounded and sprinkled over the skin, which
is previously smeared with molten sugar, honey, or sesame-oil
This is supposed to be an infallible cure.
In certain other districts the rite has been simplified. The
children go round begging flour f oil, etc, and out of these
ingredients a pie (irovyaTtra) is made in each house separately.
The children partake of it singing.
Though I have noticed at some length the possible con-
nection of the festival with the Rosalia, I am inclined to
think that the Melenikiote interpretation is most likely correct.
In that case the Scarlet Fever is by the Macedonians personified
under the name of Tovera, or the ' Red Woman 1 — a personi-
fication highly probable in itself, 1 and rendered especially s<> bj
the circumstance that the same disease is personified by the
Persians in the shape of Al— a " blushing maid, with locks of
flame and cheeks all rosy red." 3
1 Parallel personifications of disease a will be noticed in the sequel
* Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. I. p. 295.
CHAPTER V.
APRIL, MAY, AND JUNE.
The First of April (II ptorairpiXid) is in some parts of
Macedonia, as in most parts of Europe, believed to authorize
harmless fibs, and many practical jokes are played on that day
by the Macedonian wags.
The sheep are shorn in this month, and for days together
the air is filled with the plaintive voices of lambs unable to
recognize their close-cropped dams, and by the impatient
bleatings of ewes unable to understand why their offspring
keep aloof. The shearing of sheep is especially associated with
the feast of St George, of which more anon.
Weather-lore also has something to say about April:
'AirplXrj*;, Mays kovtcl to Oepos, " April and May — harvest is
drawing near/' and '2 r&v d/iapTcoik&v rrj yapa rov MaioirpiXo
Xtovt£ei 9 " In the land of sinners it snows through April and
May." 1
. April is also known among the peasants as ' St George's
Month ' ( Ayioyeoopytrr)?), from the feast of that saint on the
23rd. St George is a very popular saint. Even the brigands
regard him as their patron and, after a successful coup, they
generally assign a share of their booty to him, in the form of
offerings to his church or image. It is a somewhat strange
manifestation of piety ; yet the feelings by which it is dictated
are no less sincere and genuine than were those which prompted
the ancients to give a tenth of the enemy's spoil to the god
who had helped them to win the victory, and perhaps it is quite
as acceptable as any Te Deum. Besides, the St George of folk
1 For English folk-sayingB concerning April weather see The Book of Days,
vol. x. p. 456 ; R. Inwards, Weather Lore, p. 28.
44
Macedonian Folklore
imagination is hardly the St George of the Church. Tradition
has invested his character with attributes and embellished his
career with achievements which would have surprised the old
gentleman considerably. Readers of Percy's Reiiques will re*
member the romantic ballad 1 in which St George is described
as the son of an English lord, borne away in infancy by " the
weird Lady of the woods," and all the other incidents woven
round his attractive personality. The Macedonian peasant also
has many a quaint story to tell of his favourite saiut.
The song given below was dictated to the writer by a
peasant girl of Sochos. From this composition it appears that
St George is regarded as a kind of mediaeval knight on horse-
back, armed in the orthodox fashion, and as the bearer of gifts
to those who are fortunate enough to win his favour.
ToO 'At Tewpyi} to rpayovhi,
m At Tet&pyif KafiaXkapT}
Me <ma6i koX fxe Kovrapt,
Ao? /xe to KhttO&Kt <rov
N' uiWfti) to fiaraKt, aov [?]
Net $tw ri ejfet? pLttTa.'*
"Xtrapt, Kpt$(ipt t
2ttv/>1 jiapyaptr/ipt"
11 AoV TTJ l>V(f>T} xdtTTava
Kal tov yajiirpi Kapvha,
Kal rtj fcaXrj /ia<? ireOepd
'OXoftpvcra pavTyXta.
Kal ra irai&ta KovrvXta."
I. Ballad of St George.
" St George, knight of the sword and spear,
Givo me thy little key that I may open thy little eye, [?]
And see what than eaniest within."
" Wheat and barley, and grains of pearl"
"Give to the bride chestnuts and to the groom walnuts,
To our dear mother-in-law kerchiefs of pure gold,
And to the children j>enciJs. M
1 The Birth of St George,
April, May, and June 45
In another ballad sung, like the above, on the saint's feast,
St George plays rather an unchivalrous rdle. I will give here
only the translation, as the text, which I took down at Nigrita,
is merely a variaut of a song already published in Passow's
collection (No. 587). 1
It Ballad of St George.
" A young Turk, the king's own grandson, falls in love with
a Christian maid and wishes to make her his. He desires her ;
but she desires him not. She runs away, placing hills and
mountains between her pursuer and herself. In the way
which she goes, she finds St George sitting at a deserted little
chapel.
1 My lord St George, great be thy name! I beseech thee hide
me this instant. Oh save me from the hands of the Turk I'
The marble walls were rent asunder, and the maid entered.
At that very moment, lo 1 the Turk arrived before St
George. * My lord St George, great be thy name! The maid
whom thou keepest here, 1 beseech thee give her to me. I
will bring thee cartloads of candles, cartloads of frankincense,
1 On comparing mj version with P&fisow'a again I find that the former,
though bj no means perfect, ta not only fuller than Pas&ow's but presents so
many points of difference that it may be worth while to insert it :
"Ewi puxpb TovpK&irovKo, roO f$atrt\§d dyybw^
Mm 'PwjiflorouX dydwriffc *«U 9i\ct vd tij irdpfl.
Ti7 0Afi, &' rov 0A*i.
Ualpvu Ta op rj bpirpoirrk kq.1 to. £ot/ea 'vb irfow.
'2 rb &p6p.o gtov irdauft, "f rb bphp,o -rot? iraatvci,
BplffK* rbv "At rttopyi} Ka&ovrraw ffi fud " pTjfioKKXrfffovda*
***Ai" Ttupy d$ivn} p.\ p.fyd\o Twvopui gov,
Kuril rty ufpa Kptife fit V r* Toi/ptft*a rd glpia."
TA pjLpfjLapa patjTtjKav k $ Kbpif fivalvtt plaa.
Na *$ b T*D/wto* Tpixftraae fitrpoara *j rbv "At Tewpyrf
""Ai" T'eupy atfttvTTj p[ t pueyaXo rwvopd *toi\
AM} rrj xopn) V<5%€ti BQ, BiXu vd put rtf fiwrys.
6a <p£p apia^t, rb Ktpt t dpd£t rb dvpuapm
Kal *% to, ftovfiahorbpapa. 0a. tcovfiaXui rb \d5i f
"£ ttj irio-Tt cov 0a /3a^Ti<rrw neat Ytwpyn ruvopd pau."
Ta pappapa pat^njKav k tj Kapij £>%e tf£w.
TV7 Vijp b TwpKoi a' itpvyc.
and oil will I bring thee in big buffalo-skins. I will also be
christened into thy faith, and my name shall be George/
The marble walls were rent asunder, and the maid came
forth. The Turk seized her and sped away/ 1
The poet does not say whether the young Turk fulfilled his
vow ; but one would not be sorry to hear that he did not.
May.
Sicker this morrow, no longer ago,
I b&w a shoal of shepheards outgo
With singing, and shouting, and jolly cheer.
Shephwrd* Calender.
The First of May (FT pwrofiaia) is spent " in dance and song
and game and jest/' Pur ties are formed " to fetches home
May" (va ttui&ovv rov M«*j) and go to picnic in the plains
and meadows. The youths weave wreaths of wild flowers and
of sprays of the fragrant tree called after the day Protomaia,
and hang them outside the doors of their sweethearts, accord-
ing to the common European custom which is explained by
folklorists as due to the belief iu the fertilising power of the
tree-spirit 1 Similar garlands adorn the lintels, beams, and
windows of each cottage and are allowed to remain there until
they are quite dry, when they are burnt 2
One of the flowers gathered on this day is picked out by
the girls for purposes of divination on the subject which is
uppermost in maids' minds the world over. This privileged
blossom is the humble daisy, in Macedonia called pappas.
They pluck its white petals one by one, repeating the familiar
"He loves me; he loves me not M (M 1 ayairf, Sf p ayawa)*
Some of these blossoms are dried, to be used in winter as
medicine against coughs.
i J. G, Frazer, The Golden Bough t vol. I. p. 195.
1 Cp. G. Georgeakis et L^on Pineau, he Folk-Lore dt Letbos, p. 301.
" A. A. Tovffhv, '"H Kara t6 Uiyyawv Xwpa/ p. 46, Cp. Memoirs of the
American Folk-Lore Society, vol. iv. pp. 44, 45.
April, May, and June 47
AraoDg the many songs sung on this occasion the following
is a great favourite:
Too pa V o Mai7? k f\ * kvoify,
Tropa to icaXo/calpi,
Too pa icrj 6 f€i/09 ffovkercu
'2 top rairo rov vd way,
"Now is May and Spring,
Now is the fine weather,
Now the stranger bethinks himself
To return to his native land."
To these simple verses the country girls will dance for
hours, repeating them again and again.
Another song, which I heard at Melenik, impressed me with
its simple sentimentality. An enthusiast might even venture
to claim for it a place beside Anacreon's sweet ode, beginning
with the words %v pep <f>i\rj xekiSdv.
XekiSovdtci fiov ykvtco,
Baaavi<Jfievo<; nroifiai '70a,
*fl ykvtco fiov xeXtooi/t,
Tt;9 ykvtceia? avyfj? arjBovi,
TlepiKaXA ere iriTage,
%vp€ KTj dXkov teal %€Ta%€'
v fl^ 6ap6f) koX to irovki ftov>
Na fi dtcovay rrj <f>covij fiov ;
" Hovaav, irovki fi, toctop tcaipo,
2^ Kaprepova aav top rpekko;"
" "H/xai/ '9 ra 8 pi), '9 ra ftovvd,
Mica '9 ra tcpovcrrakka vepd.
"Hpap fie a a '9 t#9 Spocrd&ys,
'2 toC Maiov T179 irpacripdBys"
"My sweet little swallow,
See how wretched I am,
toy dear swallow,
Sweet Morn's nightingale,
1 pray thee fly,
Go abroad and ask :
Oh will my own bird ever come,
Will she ever listen to my voice ?
48 Mawfhmian Folklore
4 Where wert thou, my own bird, this long while,
And I waiting for thee like one demented I '
1 1 dwelt in the mountains and in the hills,
Amidst the crystal springs.
I dwelt amidst the cooling dews,
In May's green plantations. 1 "
A third ballad, dealing with the balmy beauties of May,
was dictated to me by a native of the isle of Thasos :
Eva wovXl ffaXaaaivo te eva irovXl ftovvytTto'
4>ftWfe£ to BaXa&atvo teal Xiet ro fJovityirtQ'
" Tl jl€ (pwv(i%€L<t, JSp* a&€p<f>€ t tcai tl fie irapayyiXvet? ;*'
" Xvpc* wovXi fkt *? top towq fiov r <rvpe \ rrj y watted fiov."
11 Tm KapT€pa> rt}P "AvotSji, top Man, to tcaXotcaipi,
Na fiTrovfLTTQutctdaavp ra /3owd t pa a-tctwaouv to. XaytcdSta,
N« ftyovv ol BXd^ot l \ Ta ftouvd t k jJ BXaxf)? *$ ra Xay/cdBia,
Na irapta to toviJ>4ki jj.ov pd ffym pd KVinjyfjarat,
Kal vavpm tt)p dydirn aou pd rtj yXv/cotftiXyato."
"There was a bird of the sea and a bird of the hills.
The bird of the sea calls, and the bird of the hills replies ;
* Wherefore dost thou call me, O brother, what ia thy command ? *
'Go, my dear bird, to my native land, go to my wife.'
' I am waiting for Spring, for J lay, for the fine weather,
For the mountains to burst into bud, for the forests to grow shady,
For the shepherds to come forth on the hills, and the shepherdesses
into the woods,
That T may take my musket and go forth a-hunting,
That I may find my beloved and give her a sweet kiss,'"
It will be noticed that the conventional metaphor of tl
birds is dropped towards the end of the song, and the speaker
resumes his human character and tastes.*
As an instance of the perfect abandon, which characterizes
the May Day festivities of the modern Greeks, may be mentioned
a custom which until quite recently prevailed in the island of
1 BXdxoi and BXdx&*» ( shepherds r and ' shepherdesses.* The name Wallach
is commonly applied to all people leading a pastoral life, whether of Wallach inn
nationality or not, and points to the nomadic character of this mysterious
tribe.
* For English May -Songs ancient and modern, Bee The Booh of Dayt,
vol U p. 546.
April, May, and June 49
Syra in the Aegean. In the evening of that day the women
used to go down to the shore en masse and wash their feet
in the sea. Crowds of admiring males witnessed the per-
formance, which was accompanied by much laughter and
good-humoured horse-play. The custom may have originated
in some solemn ceremony of propitiation of the sea-nymphs, if
not of Aphrodite herself. The May festivities all over Europe
are permeated with symbolical allusions to fertility, and such
an appeal to the spirits of the water would harmonize well
with the analogous appeals to the tree-spirits, exemplified by
the wreaths already mentioned. The divinings by the flower
petals are also obviously connected with a similar idea.
There are several saws expressing popular opinion on the
character of this month : e O Maij? e^et t* 5vopa tcj) 'Airptktfi
rd \ov\ov$ia, "May enjoys the fame, but April brings forth
the flowers." Weather-lore pronounces : Mai;? afipexos, 'xpovid
evTvxurpepr), " A rainless May portends a prosperous year." 1 The
serenity of May is, however, occasionally disturbed by hail-
storms. The folk muse turns this untoward circumstance to
account :
'Avra V/>€7T€ Sev eftpexe, top Mdrj xa\a£<bv€t,.
" When it should it did not even rain ; in May it hails,
a proverb applied to those who display inopportune energy or
liberality.
An equivalent to our saying :
Change not a clout
Till May be out, 2
is offered by the Macedonian commandment : Mi)v fjaXaQp&vys
rd KOppi a oaov 6 "JZkvfnro? elpat d<rrrpi<rp€PO<;, "Do not
lighten your body so long as Mount Olympus is clad in white,"
an advice the prosaic import of which is redeemed by the poetic
form of the expression.
1 This especially applies to the vines, v. infra September.
* For a variety of saws concerning, May see B. Inwards, Weather Lore,
pp. SI foil.
A. P. 4
50
Macedonian Folklore
Jane.
This month is known as the 'Harvester* (®€pi<TT7)$\
because harvest begins during it* In fact, it is the beginning
of the busiest time in the peasant's year, and the folk poet
may well complain :
At' to 0ipo ax? Tp9 «?Xi?afc
A£p dwoXeiwouv p SovXetats.
"From harvest till the olive's press'd
In life there is but little r«
Nevertheless, this month enjoys the distinction of including
the very crown of Midsummer festivals. On the 24th of June
is celebrated the feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist
or, as he is termed in the Calendar of the Greek Church, the
Precursor ( f O I7po£po/io<?), and popularly known as St John of
the Divination ("At VidmtjfQ rov K\i]Boi'a)< a name derived from
one of the many methods of fortune-telling winch constitutes
the principal feature of the festival.
On the eve (dpijftepa) of the feast parties of village maidens
are in the habit of gathering together in a purposely dark*
room, with a mirror. Having thus ll taken darkness for an
ally" they all look into the magic mirror by turns. Those
who are to marry within the year see, or fancy that thej
the future husbands face in the glass — peeping over their
shoulders, as it were. The less fortunate, or less imaginative,
ones are compelled to possess their souls in patience till
next year.
Another form of the same practice is the following: each
maid separately takes a looking-glass into her bedroom and
after having undressed stands in front of it, uttering this
formula :
riaipvQ} top Ka8pi<f>Tij teal tup 8eo TreptKaXdH
"QwOtOS etVCLL TTJS Tin^TjT /40t/ «7T0^re PU TOP StflS.
" I take up this mirror and God I beseech,
Whosoever is to bo my fate, may I see him this night "
She then puts the glass under her pillow and tries hard to
dream. This ceremony closely corresponds with the Hallowe'en
April, May, and June 51
practice of the North, mentioned in Burns's poem of that name
(xin). The custom for the Scotch maiden was to go alone
to a looking-glass, holding a candle. According to some
authorities she should eat an apple/ according to others she
should comb her hair before the glass. Then the face of her
predestined partner would appear in the depths of the mirror.
This superstition is related to another, not unknown to
English school-girls of the present day. The first new moon
in the year is made to declare to them the husband that is
to be, and she is invoked in the following words, pronounced
by the girl standing against a tree, with her foot on a
stone:
New Moon, New Moon, I hail thee
By all the virtue in thy body,
Grant this night that I may see
Him who my true love is to be. 8
It is curious that the English girl's invocation should be
more pagan in tone than the Macedonian maiden's prayer.
The looking-glass form of divination is akin to the familiar,
and now fashionable, crystal-gazing. It is only one of a number
of superstitions belonging to an ancient and numerous family.
Visions are seen on walls or in water, in mirror or the moon ;
but the object is ever the same. "Ancient and modern
superstition... attributes the phantasms to spiritual agency,"
says Mr Andrew Lang. 8
A third attempt at peering into futurity is made by means
of water and molten lead — old spoons and forks often going
to the pot for this purpose. A basin is filled with water and,
while an incantation is being muttered, the molten lead is
dropped into the vessel. The forms which the metal assumes
in congealing are interpreted symbolically. If, for example, the
lead spreads into an even surface, that is a sign that his or
her wishes will be fulfilled without difficulty; should, on the
contrary, the metal shape itself into a lump or 'mountain/
1 Cp. Memoirs of the American Folk-Lore Society, vol. iv. p. 38 ; pp. 55 foil.
2 School Superstition, by T. Parker Wilson, in the 'Royal Magazine 1 of
Sept., 1901. For other versions of this appeal to the Moon see Memoirs of
the American Folk-Lore Society, vol. iv. pp. 117 foil.
* Cock-Lane and Common-Sense, pp. 69 foil.
4—2
52
Macedonian Folkfon
it signifies that great obstacles lie in the way of his or her
happiness, and so forth.
An allusion to this form of divination is to be found in
a popular love-couplet which I heard at Salonica:
"Eva /copfidn fjLaXafia Bd pl$w \ to Trrjyd&i,
Na Kaffapitfrrj to vepo t va Sioj Trows 8a p,€ wapy.
" A lump of gold Hhall I drop into the well,
That the water may grow clear, and 1 may see who my husband ia to be."
On the same evening takes place another ceremony with a
similar end in view. Water ia drawn from a well into a jug, in
perfect silence (fiavfti or dp,i\TjTo vepo). 1 Into it is thrown the
white of an egg, and then it is left out iu the open air through
the night. The shapes which the egg assumes are examined
on the following morning and interpreted in the same way as
those of the lead. In Russia a parallel custom prevails on
Christmas Eve ; but, instead of lead or egg, the material used
is molten wax. The sinful proi^siona of the ' wax-melter'
(fc-ripo)(vTJis) and the ' lead- me Iter' (^oXv^So^in-vs) are not
unknown to the islauders of the Aegean. 2
Of like spells we find many traces both in England and in
Scotland. The 'Wake of Freya 1 still survives as a memory,
if not as au actual practice. 8 Burns iu a note to Halloween
gives an interesting description of the custom as it prevailed
in Scotland in his day/ while Keats has immortalized a kind rod
superstition in his beautiful poem, The Eve of St Agnes :
They told her how, upon St Agnea's Eve
Young virgins might have visions of delight,
And soft adorings from their loves receive
Upon the honey 'd middle of the night,
If ceremonies due they did aright.*
1 This water is also called &\a\oK, Bee Ducange, Glonariurn ad teriptoret
mediae et infimae Graecitatis, *. v* fwtrrpawa.
a W. H. D. Rouse* ' Folklore from the Southern Sporadea ' in Folk-Lort^
June, 1899. p. 152. Most of the*e methods of divination are common to many
Of the Greek East ; see a few notes on AtunSaifioylat *cd "QpKot in the
i*Ittotffe 'U>*po\67*w' Maplvou U. BptroG, Paris, 1886, pp. *21»* — 220; G.
Georgeakis et Ldon Pi tie an, Lt Folk-L&tt de Lt*bos $ pp. 3107 — 308.
3 G. Borrow, Lavcnaro, ch. xx. * N. 10.
6 YI. For a full description of this superstition see The Book of Day*, vol. i.
p. 140.
April, May ', and June 53
Likewise Poor Robins Almanack for 1770 tells us how
On St Mark's Eve, at twelve o'clock,
The fair maid will watch her smock,
To find her husband in the dark,
By praying unto Good St Mark. 1
But all the above modes of divination are in Macedonia
eclipsed by the picturesque rite which lends to the feast of the
Baptist its popular designation. This is the rite known
throughout the Greek world as 6 tckySova?, and it well deserves
a chapter to itself. It is perhaps the most interesting form of
hydromancy which can be directly associated with the Mid-
summer ceremonies prevalent all over Europe and regarded
by folklorist8 as having for their object the promotion of
fertility. The step from a rite of propitiation to one of divina-
tion is but a short one. Even after the idea had been abandoned
that the ceremonies in question operated to bring about the
desired effect, the wish to obtain an omen as to the future of
individuals, especially on matters matrimonial, might well have
continued to be cherished. "It is thus that magic dwindles
into divination."*
f O KXvSopo*?
In Macedonia the ceremony, or pastime — for, like most of
these rites, it has long been shorn of its serious character 4 —
is performed as follows.
On the eve of the day young people of both sexes, — for
this is a social spell, — and not unfrequently married men and
women also, fix upon a certain spot where the performance is
to be held. Then a child is sent round to collect from the
members of the party different 'tokens' (crrjpdSia), consisting
1 Quoted in The Book of Day$, vol. L p. 550.
8 J. O. Frazer, The Golden Bough, vol. iu p. 129.
3 The name is a modernized form of the ancient *\itfu>r, an omen contained
in a word, whence KXijdorlfa, to give an omen, etc. The peasant*, however,
regard it as connected with the verb irXeidwrc*, to lock, and this opinion has
given rise to some of the terms employed above.
4 Indeed *\i)Aorar sometimes is used as a synonym for a frivolous sport, in
which any nonsense is permissible. Hence the popular saying, "adrA '» row
K\r)5ora rd ra -rq% (or wd ra TovKfayt)" conveying pretty nearly the same
meaning as our "tell that to the marines."
54
Maeedon km Folklore
of rings, beads, buttons, or anything that the participators in
the ceremony are in the habit of wearing about their persons.
T<» t_ach of these tokens is attached a flower, or a sprig of
basil, and then they are all cast into a jug or pitcher, which
is also crowned with flowers, especially with basil and the
blossom of a creeping plant, resembling the honeysuckle and
from its association with the rite called teXri&ova*; or St John a
Flower (Tofi "At Vtavvq to Xot/XoCoY). 1 In some districts a gigantic
cucumber, or an onion, is cast in along with the tokens. The
vessel is then carried to the fountain, the spout (aovXrjvupt) of
which is likewise decorated in a manner recalling the well*
flowering and tap-dressing customs once popular in England, 1
The maid who bears the vessel must not utter a single word,
and if spoken to she must not answer. Having filled the pitcher,
she carries it back in silence. A red kerchief is spread over
its mouth and fastened round the edges with a ribbon, or a
string, and a padlock (tcXethwvtd). The last mentioned article
seems to be due partly to the mistaken etymology of the name
K\r}Sova$ (unless, indeed, the etymology has been suggested by
the article), and partly no doubt to the mystic sign iti ranee
attributed by popular superstition to a lock,* This part of
the ceremony is known as the Mocking 1 (to *\e/8<w/xa) and
in some places, as Nigrita, for example, where the silence rule
is not observed, the action is accompanied by the following
song, sung by a chorus of maidens both on the way to the
fountain and round it, while the pitcher is filling:
To l&Xci&tofta.*
Via va fcXet&wo-ovpLT} rovv tcXethovva
1 Cp. the plants used for purposes of divination on St John's Day in other
countries, such as the Ciuri di & GitHKMAi in Sicily and St John's wort
in Prussia. J. G. Frazer, The Golden Bough* vol. n. p. 129.
a The Booh of Day*, vol. i. p. 819.
3 On the use of locks and knots as impediments to sorcery, see J. G. Frazer,
The Golden Bough, vol. I. pp. 400 foil.
4 This song was taken down by a maid of Nigrita at my request. She could
only just write and so she unconsciously reproduced in her spelling the local
pronunciation, which I have endeavoured to retain in the above copy.
April, May, and June 55
M£ t' ' Aiyiavviov rovv /cXeLSowa.
Iloto? o"q <f>vTT)yfrj t irotos <ri) irornrq (bis)
Krj fiaptffl/cav rk \ov\ov8ia a ;
Tpa fxrj <f>vTf)yfrf, yp'd /jltj wortcy
K17 fiapdOtcav ra \ov\ov8ia f*.
Sovfiaij fi\ rtf 0v — , rrf dvyaripa a
"AUow veto vh, fiijv Tq 8dxrr)$. (bis)
Aovfcrjvd fi, 1770a rr)v appafiwviaa (bis)
M* htav Hovpyapov rfyX&jrr) (bis)
Me Ivav irtZx tcl xikia Trpoftara,
TA TpaKoam SajidkiBia.
The locking of the vessel.
Come together, oh be ye gathered together,
That we may lock the pitcher
With St John's flower.
"Who planted thee? Who watered thee,
And thy blossoms are faded?"
"An old woman planted me, an old woman watered me,
Therefore my blossoms are faded."
" ThomaS, dear Thomag, thy daughter
Give her not to another youth."
"0 Doukena, dear Doukena, I have betrothed her
To a Bulgarian gentleman,
To the one who owns a thousand sheep,
And three hundred heifers!"
The pitcher, thus prepared, is exposed "to the light of
the stars " ('9 rtfp aarpoifreyyui, or '? to gdarepo), or is placed
under a rose-tree, where it remains during the night. Early
next morning it is taken indoors and set in the corner of a
room. In the afternoon of the festal day the young people
assemble once more round the pitcher and proceed to ' unlock '
it, accompanying the action with a variation of the same song :
To Zeickelhwfia.
Tuk va fyxXeiSaHTOvpA] row tcXuhowa, etc
56
Macedonian Folklore
The unlocking of the vessel
Come together oh be ye gathered together,
That we may unlock the pitcher, etc.
A little boy, the most guileless-looking that can be found,
is appointed to lift off the kerchief, which is then thrown over
his face, and thus blindfolded (*<? ra Tu<f>\d) he dips his right
hand into the pitcher While the boy is doing this, one of the
bystanders cries out: " We open the vessel. May good luck
issue forth!" (Wvotyovfie rav x\r}Sova, va fiy$ to /ea\oppi£i*co !)}
Then the boy draws out the tirst token, singing
Ttvovs aTjfAtiBi tej} Slv €j3yfj t
Na Trtij} *9 t« Xtppas /** oXav ra tca\a.
41 Whose tokt-n aotbm forth.
May they go to Serres ami eujoy all manner of happiness."
The owner of this first token is cheered by the others
congratulated on his or her good luck. Then each of
company by turns or some one, generally an old woman well
versed in Luck-lore, recites or improvises a couplet as eada
token is being drawn. In some districts, in lieu of couplets,
they propound riddles. 3 In either case the saying is cousk
as foreshadowing the future of the person to whom the token
belongs. As may be imagined, all the predictions are not
equally pleasing. Some of them are grotesque and sometimes
even such as a more cultured audience would pronounce coarse.
These give rise to many sallies of rustic wit at one another's
expense.
The cucumber is drawn out last and eaten, Then the real
broad farce begins. The tokens are flung back into the pitcher,
and the company give free play to their sense of fan in th<
of sayings which, when the circle is exclusively confin.
married women, are neither meant nor meet for male ears.
The festival generally ends with dancing and singing.
J For other formulae customary at the opening of the jug elsewhere,
Bemhard Schmidt, Littler venchitdent-n Iitfmlt*, No. 03; Passow, Ditticha,
No, 85.
* A collection of both these kinds of folk literature will be found At the end
of the volume.
.
April, May, and June 57
A performance essentially similar to the Greek tckrjBovas,
though wanting in many of its picturesque details, is popular
among the Russians. "At the Christmas festival a table is
covered with a cloth, and on it is set a dish or bowl containing
water. The young people drop rings or other trinkets into the
dish, which is afterwards covered with a cloth, and then the
Podblyudnuiya Songs commence. At the end of each song one
of the trinkets is drawn at random, and its owner deduces an
omen from the nature of the words which have just been sung. 1 ' 1
Bonfires.
Another important feature of the feast are the bonfires
(ifxDTiaisiy kindled on the eve. It is the custom for boys to leap
through the flames. This is called ' leaping the fleas ' (irqhovv
tolm? yfrvWovs), that is leaping over the fire which is supposed to
burn and exterminate these enemies to the peace of southerners.
The same custom exists in some parts of Russia where "fires
are lighted on St John's night and people jump through them
themselves, and drive their cattle through them." 8 St John's
fires are also common throughout the Roman Catholic world
both in Europe and in South America, and the belief prevails
that the flames cannot hurt those who jump through them.
They survived until very late days in Ireland. Ralston remarks
that these festivals, bonfires, etc. connected with St John are
" of thoroughly heathenish origin." 4 The justice of this remark
is proved by the antiquity of the custom, which certainly dates
from pre-Christian times. We read in the Old Testament* that
King Manasseh "caused his children to pass through the fire
in the valley of the son of Hinnom." We also possess Ovid's
testimony that the practice was popular among the ancient
Romans :
Certe ego transilui positas ter in online flammas. 6
1 Ralston, Songs of the Russian People, p. 197.
2 At Polygyros, in the Chalcidic Peninsula, these bonfires are known as
vapaxafi roi.
3 lb. p. 240. 4 lb. p. 241.
8 2 Chron. xxxiii. 6. • Ovid. Fast. it. 655.
58
Macedonian Folklore
In fact leaping through the flames played a prominent part in the
festival of Pales (Palilia), held on April 21st. " Similarly at the
time of our Christmas, bonfires were kindled by the Norsemen in
honour of Thor and Odin, and it was an old Scotch custom to
light *a Candlemas Bleeze' on February 2, possibly connected
with the old Italian rites of Februatio/' 1 Thus far the Eve, a
On the day itself in some parts of Macedonia the peasants
are in the habit of festooning their cottages and girding their
own waists with wreaths of the M St John's Flower " as a charm
against various diseases. The village maidens boil the blossoms
and wash their hair with the elixir extracted therefrom, in the
same hope which prompts the use of eaux toniques to their
listen of the West.*
1 G. H. Hallam's edition of The Fasti of lhid t note on iv, 655.
3 For descriptions of the St John 'a festivities in certain islands of the Aegean,
see W. H. D. Bouse, * Folklore from the Southern Sporades ' in Folk- Lore, June
181*9, pp. 17S-9 ; G, Georgeakis et Leon Pineau, Le Folk-Lort de Le$bor t pp.
304 foil., and references to authorities for the custom in other parts of Greece.
In England also the St John's celebrations were very popular in olden
times t the bonfire being made out of contributions collected for the purpose.
On the superstitious notions about St John's Eve, prevalent in England
and Ireland, and other interesting particulars, see The Book of Day*, vol. i.
pp. 814 folL Fruier associates these midsummer rites with the ancient
ceremonies the object of which was to foster the growth of vegetation, one of
them being the Feast of Adonis, familiar to classical scholars through the
Fifteenth Idyll of Theocritus: see The Golden Bough, vol. tu pp. 115 foil.
* On * magic plants/ and more especially St John's wort, culled on this day,
see J. G. Frazer, ib. vol. m. pp. 328 foil.
CHAPTER VI.
JULY TO DECEMBER
July.
This month is known to the peasant as the 'Thresher'
( e A\G>j/«rr>79, 'A\g>i/t?;9, or 'AXapdpi)?), as the threshing of
corn begins in it:
* A\(ovdpr)<; r ak(ovi£€i,
K17 AvyovoTO? to fe^wptfet.
"July threshes it ; but August winnows it.*
Another popular proverb declares
"Etc* t&X€i rb Xtvdpt
N' avdrj rbv * AXcovdprj.
"Tis the wont of flax to blossom forth in July,"
the moral of which is that it is of no use fighting against the
laws of Nature.
A third saying contains an allusion to the grasshopper :
Tf/T?i7*a9 i\d\t)cr€ t
Mavprj p&ya yvdXure.
" The grasshopper has chirped ; the black grape has begun to gleam."
The song of the grasshopper and the joys of the juice of the
grape are here coupled together in a manner which Anacreon
would have appreciated keenly. The Greek's attitude towards
this "melodious insect" has undergone less change than the
name by which it is known. To the modern Hellene the grass-
hopper's chirping is still a " sweet prophetic strain," and, had
60
Marti Ionian Folklore
he not ceased to believe in the Tuneful Nine and their divl
leader, he might still exclaim with the old poet:
* The Muses love thy shrilly tone ;
Apollo calls thee all his own." %
The farmers of Macedonia out of the newly ground cor
make a large thin cake, which they take to the village fount
or well. They sprinkle it with water and then distribute ir
among the bystanders, who in return wish them * a happy
year/ This cake is called * Grasshopper-Cake ' (t^it^tjpokXiko),
and is supposed to be a kind of offering to their favourite
insect. The following rhymes express the insect's satisfaction
at the sacrifice:
Kal pigre to \ ttj fipvtrt vd wdw vd to 7rapa>,
Nd Karatix Va to fata* p,a^v pe rd wat&td /iov,
Na iretrm vd irtddvia*
"Thresh and mow and make a cake for roe.
Throw it into the fount that I may go and fetch it,
Aod sit and eat it with my children,
And then lay me down and die."
A agusL
Fasting and feasting are the two scales in which the modern
Greeks existence seems alternately to balance itself August
begins with the Feast of the Progress of the Precious and
Vivifying Cross ('H wpooSos tqv rtfitov teal ^wowotav Xravpov,
popularly known as ToO Sravpov). Bonfires are the order of
the evening. The boys jump over them shouting in vigorous,
1 Anacreon's otic, or rather the ode which passes under Auacreou's name, to
the T4tt(£, translated by Thomas Moore. Cp. "This noise was bo pleasing to the
ear of the Ancients, that their Poets are always using it as a simile for sweet
sounds. 1 * Liddell and Scott x.t\ and references.
a A. A. Vawtov, **H tat£ to UdyyaioM Xwpa/ p. 47- In America also, th-
in some parts the chirping of a cricket foretells sorrow, yet it is generally
deemed unlucky to kill one. Mtmoir* of the American Folk-Lore Society,
vol. vii. p. 41. In England M when crickets chirp unusually, wet is expected/'
R. Inwards, Weat her- Lore t p, 183.
JuJfl to December
61
but sadly unenlightening, terms : 'Am^&xrre/ wapdx^o-re! "Dig
up! bury!" whom or what, they know not. 1 This exclamation
supplies the name by which the custom is known at Melenik.
At Shatista, in Western Macedonia, the same fires are called
KXaSapta or ' bush-fires/ and at Berat, in Albania, Trihfai,
The evening is a Meat-Feast ( x Xirotcpea), a preparation for, and
a fortification against, a fortnight's fast, which again in its turn
is a prelude to the Feast of the Repose of the Virgin ('H teoipr}<ri$
tt}$ %€ot6kov, popularly Ti)v WaiayLa*;). Nor do these exhaust
the lilt of August celebrations. On the 23rd is held the Feast
of the Return of the Feast of the Virgin (' AttooWs? rtjs €opr^
Trjs Oeorotfou) or of The Holy Merciful (Tf}$ *Aylas 'ILXsovai}?).
Tliis day is solemnized by much dancing and singing of the
mournful kind common in the East. The mournf illness among
the Bulgarians of Macedonia is further deepened hy the dismal
droning of the bag-pipe — an instrument whereof the strains
appear to delight the Bulgarian as much as the Highlander,
in proportion as they distress all other mortals. Again, on the
2!>tl>, the Cutting-off of the Precious head of St John the
Forerunner ('H aworofLtf rt)<s Ttp,ias areola \r/<? ^Xwdvvov rov
Upohpopiou) is made the occasion of more abstinence.
It is in harmony with this religious gloom that August is
considered as the precursor of winter :
f O AvyowTTOs iwiiTr}(X€ \ ttjv atepa rov xetpwva.
"August has set his foot on Winter's edge."
^Aavpia t) posya uVo to <rra<f>v\t ;
'PaXytaa* 7} tcaphta rov fcapa$o*cvpi}.
" Has the grape grown black in the cluster i
The ship-captain's heart has grown dark."
In this symbolical style the man learned in weather-lore
warns his amlience that summer calms are behind and winter
storms before us.
1 May not these words contain a hint of M the death and resurrection of
vegetation/' which are said to be the ideas underlying the midsummer rites? It
should be noted that vapaxwiw and dvaxtfrw (or favaxu*^} are the terms
commonly applied by the people to the burial and exhumation of the dead.
&2
Macedon km Folklore
These pessimistic views are, however, contradicted by other
authorities who declare ;
O tf\to^ tov MaEov r Avyov&Tov to fayytipt*
M May's aim is August's moon."
Some even go so far in their enthusiastic appreciation as to
exclaim :
A vyov&re, tca\e fiov f^fjva, vaaovv Bvo $opats top \povo.
" August, my fair month, that thou wert twice a year ! ■
But this may be mere flattery.
In any case the wise man puts his trust not in traditional
lore but in scientific observation. A flock of wild geese flying
inland is taken as a promise of fine weather, while rains and
storms are prognosticated if the birds fly towards the sea. 1 Tl it-
flight of the crane was similarly considered by the ancients a
sign of approaching winter — yjztpjnu^ mpi\v &€ucvv€t ofifBprjpov*
The first twelve days of the mouth are closely watched, and
the weather which prevails on each one of th^m is carefully
committed to memory; for unerring experience, assisted by a
profound study of matters meteorological, has established the
rule that the same kind of weather will also prevail during each
of the succeeding twelve months. Hence these twelve days are
designated 'Month-Days' (to pepop^vta)? In like manner in
England it was once a common superstition that the wind which
blew on New Year's Eve prognosticated the character of
ensuing twelve months:
If New Year's Eve night-wind blow south,
It betokeneth warmth and growth ;
If west, much inilk, and fish in the sea ;
If north much cold and storm there will be ;
and so forth, in Hone's venerable verse.
1 Cp. the English omens taken from the flight of geese. R. Inwa
Weatiier-Lort, p. 160.
* He*. W. and D. 450.
* Or have we here a survival of the classical Itpa^ta (rd, Thuo. v. 54) * the
holy days of the month ■ ?
July to December 63
The jackdaw is the typical bird of this month :
Kd#e irpafia *9 top tcaipo rov ktj 6 tcoXoibs rbv ASyovaro.
" Everything in due season, and the jackdaw in August' 1
The Drymiais.
The first three days of August, like the corresponding days
in March already noticed, are sacred to the Drymiais (&pvjiicu<;).
Who or what these beings are is a mystery as yet unfathomed
by folklorists. The very name is a problem which still remains
to be solved. 1 The Drymiais appear to be of two kinds : vernal
and autumnal. During the periods of March and August,
referred to above, no tree or vine is cut, for fear lest it should
wither ; no one bathes in the sea, for fear that their bodies will
swell; and no clothes are washed, lest they should decay. To
these days, which are observed everywhere along the coast and
in the islands of the Aegean, the Macedonians add the last
three days of either month as well as all the Wednesdays
and Fridays of each. 9
According to one hypothesis the Drymiais are a species of
nymphs, joining under one name the attributes both of the
Hamadryads and of the Naiads of old. In Spring they are
worshipped, or rather dreaded, as wood-nymphs ; in Autumn as
water-nymphs. This view is strengthened to some extent by
the following popular saying :
'O AvyovaTo? 71A rk irapid,
K17 6 MapTrjs yih rk gv\a.
"August is bad for linen,
And March for trees."
1 Coray gives the name as Aptjfifiara and derives it from hpinma ' to tear,'
while others spell it Apvpcus and would have it from dpvpSs 'a wood.' The
spelling countenanced by Scarlatos the lexicographer is Apl/uuf, but Apv^/xara
also is known : see O. Georgeakis et Leon Pineau Le Folk-Lore de Lesbos, p. 309.
In my spelling of the name I have endeavoured to conform as nearly as possible
to the pronunciation current at Nigrita and other parts of Macedonia. On the
superstition op. W. H. D. Bouse, 'Folklore from the Southern Sporades,' in
Folk-Lore, June 1899, p. 179.
9 v. supra, p. 21.
64
Macedon inn Folklore
Another version of the same proverb, said to be current
the peninsula of Cassandra (ancient Pallene), is still more
explicit :
T 1 Avyov&r ij Apvf£m$ \ ra rravta i
Kjj tqv yiaprtov \ ra £vka. 1
" The Drymiais of AugiiMt affect the linen,
And those of March affect the wooda."
Some additional support for this theory may be derived
from the custom of bathers in August to arm themselves with
B rusty nail which, they believe, is efficacious in preventing the
Drymiais from coining near them. This me to be a
fair proof that the Drymiais are, at any rate, regarded by the
popular consciousness in the light of personal beings, though the
person ifi ration is somewhat vag\ie. For we know from other
sources that iron in any shape or form — nail, ring, etc. — is a
good defence against fairies, 2 an idea as widely diffused as any
in folklore: n The Oriental jinn are in such deadly terror of
iron, that its very name is a charm against them ; and so in
European folklore iron drives away fairies and elves, and
destroys their power." 3 The old Scholiast on the Xith book
of the Odyssey, quoted by Mr Andrew Lang, 4 also informs us
that iron " drives away devils and ghosts." Mr Tylor's explana-
tion is that fairies, elves, and jinn " are essentially, it seems,
creatures belonging to the ancient Stone Age, and the ne
metal is hateful and hurtful to them." If that be the case, tin
Drymiais (provided their title to persona! existence is first
established) must have a pretty long pedigree, and should be
added to the number of shadowy survivals from a long-dead
past.
September.
This is the 'Month of the Vintage 7 (TpvyqTys:), also called
XravptmrT}^, or ' Month of the Cross/ from the Feast of the
1 See ■ eepjuaV by M. X. 'luavvov, Athena, 1879* p. 58. This author holds
the above theory.
a J, G. Campbell, Superstitions of the Highlands and Island* of Scotland, p. 46,
* Tylor, Primitive Gut tun, vol I. p. 140.
* Custom and Myth, p. 82.
Jvly to December 65
Exaltation of the Precious Cross ('H ttyoxrt? rov Tc/iiov
Xravpov), held on the 14th. These events and the following
two prognostications — one prospective and the other retro-
spective — are September's chief claims to the folklorist's
attention.
*Ai/ 7<ro>9 fipel; 6 Tpvyrprq?, X a P^ '* T0P Tvpotcofio.
" If September brings rain, joy to the cheese-maker ! n
Mai;? a/Spe^o?, TpvyrfTTjs xapovfievos.
"A rainless May means a mirthful September,"
that is, the vintage is particularly rich if the preceding May has
been dry.
On September 2nd is observed the Day of St John the
Faster (\<odvvov rov Nrjarevrov), so called not because he fasts
himself — though he probably did in his time — but because he
is the cause of fasting to others. Not only meat but also
grapes are forbidden on this day. In return, the pious peasant
expects the saint to protect him against fevers. 1
October.
October is known as the ' Month of St Demetrius ' (Ayio-
BrffirjTpidrrj^ or simply AyfirfTpidTr)?), from the feast of the
saint celebrated on the 26th, a feast famous for the number
of weddings which enliven it, as will be noticed in our chapter
1 The following is the form of the same superstition which prevails in
Southern Greece : — •* St John was a physician, and especially skilled in the
care of fevers.... When he was aware that his death was approaching, he set up
a column, and bound to its foundations all manner of diseases with silken
threads of various colours : fevers with a yellow thread, measles with a red one,
and other diseases with other colours... and said, 'When I die, let whosoever is
sick come and tie to this column a silken thread with three knots of the colour
that his sickness takes, and say, 'Dear St John, I bind my sickness to the
column, and do by thy favour loose it from me,' and then he will be healed.' "
Kamporoglou, Hist, Ath. in Kennell Rodd, The Customs and Lore of Modern
Greece, p. 167.
A. F. 5
66 Macedonian Folklore
on Marriage. It is also the commencement of seed-time,
according to the adage :
'OjfTft)/8/3to Sev €<rrr€ipe$,
'O^Tft) awpovs 1 Sep Ztcaves,
which may be paraphrased thus :
" If in October you forget to sow,
Expect a passing scanty crop to mow."
A spell of fine weather is recognized in the saw :
' AyioBrffirfTpidrrj
Mt,/cp6 /caXofcaipdfCi.
"St Demetrius' month is a second little summer."
November.
This month is known as the 'Sower* (liropias) par excel-
lence. Sowing is so essentially a characteristic of the season,
and it concerns the peasant so nearly, that even religion is
forced to enlist the prevailing spirit in its service. The Virgin,
whose feast occurs on the 21st (Ta ElaoBca rf}? Qeorotcov)
generally goes by the name of ' Patroness of the Seed-time '
(5€<rrropiTia<ra). Nevertheless the secular appellation of the
month is in some parts supplanted by the religious name
4 Month of St Andrew ' ('AvTpeas), due to the feast of the
Apostle on the last day of the month ("At 'Avrpia). The saint
is pictured as a hoary old man with a long snowy beard, and a
gentle, though grave, countenance. His is a typical wintry
figure: frosty but kindly. The first snowfall is attributed to his
influence. T' aairpiae rd yiveia r 6 "At ' Ai/t peas, "St Andrew has
washed his beard white," is the poetical form in which the event
is described by the country-folk. They also perpetrate a profane
pun in saying, " After the feast of St Andrew everything grows
strong" (varep* air rov H Al 'Avrpea oka dvrpeievovv £Av8p€a<; —
avSpeios]), that is, the cold grows severer, and the storms more
frequent and fierce.
1 The word autpbs is still used in the sense of ' a heap of corn,' as it was in
the days of Hesiod (Srt tdpii awpbv dparcu, W. and D. 778).
July to December
67
D the 18th is held the Feast of St Plato the MartyT
'Twos), whose name ingenious ignorance has transformed
into St Plan< A< IlXurai/o?). This is a very important
in the weather-lore of the coast especially. It is said
that this holy da^ ses all known kinds of meteorological
vicissitude. But the- weather which finally prevails at sundown
is the one which will last through the A«l\< -ut <>r 'the Forty
Days ' CHapavTar)fi€po ) Bo ddepi; is tins Lit a
learned farm me that the
failure of Napoleon'i Hot ign was due to the omens
taken by the Russian Emperor and bit OOQDQollorg from
oliaif aliun of tin L J lane-tn m i Day. ,l The Dam
oo hearn r his Council
iat are we to do, gentlemen \ ' ;isk«-,l His Maj<
• Wait for St I ne master/ answered the
President .>t the Council.
The Tsar followed i\\ bie advice^ and saved his
em] 'i t a bad paraphrase of Nicholas the First's
and F< bniarj will fight for us,"
mud a good example of the mythopoaic focnlty erf the people.
The Li hs of th« y bed
■Twii - but December by itself rejoices in the
name of NtKoXutr^ or 'Month of St N . from the
name of the mini whose feast is held on the 6th. The same
saint wedded fco St Barbara (Dee, 4th) figun adage:
xoXiraa, Bapftapirtra, trrrpbs tcai 7rtVo> 6 j(€ip,mva^
iiolas ami St Barbara: before, behind winter/'
The folk p lso exercises his wit at the expense of
saints of the month in alliterative doggerel
ot m :
U Mapfifipa &apf$apn
irc#/3a<? vaffavo
1 V StxoXa* rrapa^t'
12. *A* ^Lirvp&w ^ava^wvti.
5—2
68 Macedonian Folklore
"St Barbara behaves barbarously,
St Sabbas winds us up in a shroud (o-dpavov) (of snow),
St Nicholas buries us in the earth,
St Spyridion exhumes us."
He also says that after the Feast of St Spyridion the days
begin to grow longer by one grain (XirvpiSav — airvpl). The
incorrigible one further maintains that on the Feast of
St Ignatius ("Ai 'lyvdrio*;, Dec. 20th) the sun stands facing
us (ayvavrevei). The English reader, who will miss the point
of these jokes, need not bewail the loss.
As a general epilogue to this survey of the peasant's year,
we may quote his opinion concerning the seasonableness and
unseasonableness of indulging in the juice that maketh glad
the heart of man :
Mfjvas fie to o,
To tcpaal St^o)? vepo'
Mr)va$ 8t^o)9 p,
To tcpaal pue to vepo.
"Month with r,
Unmixed jar ;
Month sans r,
A mixed jar." 1
It should be noted that there are only four months in
the year " sans r," as against eight " with r," but the former
are the hottest (from May to August). Hence the wisdom
of the rule which at first sight looks somewhat whimsical.
On the whole, it is a vast improvement on the Hesiodic
principle of " three measures of water to one of wine," 8 which
in its severity almost verges on total abstinence.
Popular Astronomy.
Ere we proceed to describe the great Winter Festivities,
it may be well to enlarge a little more on a subject closely
connected with the weather-lore discussed in the preceding
1 Cp. the English saying, "When there is an r in the month oysters are in
season."
9 T/ait Hdaros rpoxieiv, rb 81 Wrparor Ufiev ofrov. W. and D. 596.
July to Deo&mber
69
pages, The peasant's notions on the nature and the move-
ta of the heavenly bodies are as curious as his ideas on
itters sublunary- The bright starry band, which stretches
sky, and which has been compared by the fancy
many i I road or called by tin Mam Ionian
'Ik 'T!i i* <-g)/)os), or * The Priest's
Fo ^x v P° r °v Tfl'""^)- I QafclOO of this rjuaint
the following story is told
"There was once a \ill -t, who in the dead of night
which lay on a fan.
j-ftoor, L But as the thief
carried bii b ray, the night breeze blew the straw or
his laid a trail by means of which the unholy
ilv tracked and brought to b>
mally easy to track I i to its oriental
know thai the Syrians, the Persian* and the
Turks give to tli likening
red with bits of ill from the aeta
I are in the habit of _■ it. 1
Tli In the tfoon at English folklore is i ion
to that of the hero of the Milky Way adventure. Like
ns Eastern cousin, he also is a per- I in tin* act
of gathering jiJn - though in his oaa hat
ng derived from the story of the Sabbath*
Bible (Numb. xv. 32 foil), Chattoaf goes
fart 1 1 actual theft, and by so doing
ring* linn i step d d papae,or Milage
pri*
horlo *.',nnto<t fill i
Bearing a bin ma <>n li
fill might clime so nu'r the heaven. 1
e Greeks of the south call the Milky W i\ * River
dan. 1
The ten ompare the heavenly bodies to objects
ar to a Iman'a mind is alio displayed in the
iouian names for van as Thus the Great
ulttlfY, toI. t, p. 360.
■ Se« Th* Hook of /»<ty«, vol. i. |
70 Macedonian FoUdore
Bear, just as among our own peasants, is called the ' Plough '
('A\€t/m), and the different parts of that implement furnish
names for other groups of stars, such as the ' Yoke ' (Zvyos),
the ' Plough-feet ' (ri ' AXerpoiroSta), 1 three stars in the neigh-
bourhood of the Pleiades.*
The constellation of the Pleiades too, known in Greece
Proper as the ' Poulia* (17 UovXia), is called by the Macedonians
the ' Clucking or Brooding Hen ' (17 KXwaaapui). 9 The setting
of this group towards the end of November is regarded as
an official announcement of the advent of winter, an idea
embodied in the following folk-rhymes from Southern Greece :
*2 T179 &€fca<t>Ta, \ T179 Se/caxTG)
f H UovXca jSaaiXevei
Kal iriato irapar/yekvef
Mqre ttov\(iki \ to fcXaSi,
Mqre yrjaypyo? '9 top tcap/iro,
or
MrjSe raofi7rdvo<; '9 rd fiovvd,
MrjSe yrjapyd? *9 row «a/i7TOV9.
"On the seventeenth, on the eighteenth (o. s.)
The Pleiades set
And leave behind them the command :
Let no bird rest on the bough
Nor husbandman in the plain,
Nor a shepherd in the mountains,
Nor a farmer in the plains."
1 Gp. the Homeric Dames 4/io£a, a wain, 'the great bear*; pownji, a
ploughman, 'the constellation of Arcturus.'
* The author's primitive acquaintance with Astronomy forbids any attempt
at more accurate identification, bat he will hazard the suggestion that by the
'three stars' is probably meant the belt of Orion.
8 This modern conception of the constellation as a bird supports to a certain
extent the suggestion that the ancient name, rXeiddef, is not derived from rMw,
' to sail,' but stands for reXeidfo, ' a flock of doves.' Mr Walter Leaf, in his
edition of Homer's Iliad (iviii. 486), argues with much force in favour of this
view, pointing out that the other names of stars mentioned by the poet are aU
derived from a pastoral or agricultural and not from a seafaring life.
.////// to Diviiubir
71
advice tallies exactly wirh old Hewode wan
• \V!i. Pleiades, dying from Orion's migbi cigtb,
sink into the shadow-streaked sea f it is then that galea from
all point* of the sk font to rage; beware of having
a boat upon the murky billows at that time ol \\ Ul
is paid by the - to
the conditions attending the Betting of tl
from those conditions are dmwu omens as to ntity
ruing crop and the t'ertil it tie. li
a el- id to portend a rich ban i
■ mruonly called "bow" (Sofa or &oljti r -
rafop), is known at Liakkovikia as tc€pa<rov\h>rj, and in that
t if a male child passes Unruli
it, he tun girl; ifagii into a boy. 1 bother
[Zwvapt rov ovpaii
Tie. tiiliin; pularly ex-
'* He is gone to suppt'i " ( tHfj4 va <t><trj).
The New Moon.
Th vviili a rtaining the
state of the weather for the ensuing quarter. Mi wi Katpo
-?ittoTr)tc€ to $eyyapt ; is riir OOSntnOE expi this
vhich the Maceil SSftBtfl share with oople
in England — that is, that irith the moon's
quart-cringe — Mr ueerves: "That educated people to
whom exact ords are accesM ild still find
inciful lunar rule, is an interesting case
intellect cording b author the
tmterpari <>t the tend e the gro
with the iii'^iis wax and m I, we
» r. Q folL
I, tin***©!, * H Kara to Wayyuwr Xwpa,' J>. 77.
3 Sc-nrluto^ * A<£t«&» rift «a0' iitiat 'EWrjiwcrtt ^aX^nTot,' j,0. fofdfiu
vol. t. J». ISO.
72 Macedonian Folklore
might add, it belongs to the stage of culture which prevailed
before the line was very rigidly drawn between meteorology
and theology — to times when sky and heaven meant one and
the same thing. 1
Eclipse of the Moon.
An eclipse of the moon is considered by the Mohammedans
of Macedonia, as of other parts of the East, a portent of
bloodshed. It is met with reports of fire-arms, and the Imams
call from the minarets the faithful to public prayers in the
mosques.
This recalls in a striking manner the practices of many
savage and barbaric nations. The Indians of America, on
seeing the phenomenon, howled and bewailed and shot at the
sky in order to drive off the monsters which, they believed,
were trying to devour the moon. Similar ideas and similar
methods prevail among many African tribes. The great nations
of Asia, such as the Hindoos and the Chinese, still cling to the
belief in the Eclipse-monster. The latter meet it with prayers,
like the Turks.
But even in civilized Europe, both ancient and modern, we
find numerous proofs of this superstition. The Romans came
to the succour of the afflicted moon by flinging firebrands into
the air, by the blare of trumpets and the clang of brazen pots.
The superstition survived through the Middle Ages into a
very late period. France, Wales and Ireland offer many
instances as late as the 17th century.*
1 For certain curious English superstitions regarding the moon see
R. Inwards, Weather Lore, p. 64 ; The Book of Day*, vol. n. p. 202 ; Memoirs
of the American Folk-Lore Society, vol. iv. pp. 121, 122. On the general
subject concerning the supposed influence of the moon on the life of plants and
animals see J. G. Frazer, The Golden Bough, vol. n. pp. 155 foil, and Note B.
pp. 457, 458.
8 Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. I. pp. 328 foil.
i 'I I A ITER VI L
ER FESTIVITIES.
Of I 'Wl,
Tli i
Oi ike*, of pease and beans,
ko those merry scenes.
BjUUUCK, !I>'ipcridct,
run scenes* would have been better than 'merry
»' as a d ion of the M bra-
tioas in tht
Th»- period <>t' T l>:iys, from the Nativity to the
1 :..ny < A<i>8^ar;/it'po), l- per ha prolific in Buper-
folk-
lur. It is during tins Ml ' borron
of winter ai 1 by the mysterious beings known
dreaded under ' rkaoteari «»i Skal
1 Other forma of the name, cun« bfja parts of (ireece, are sa\if
**>r*aper, aaXcdivapo -.rapo*, *oXij*a>r«ra/K» etc. Some *pell it
i&«4** 1 <'lioioe an b unced alik
Utr aptlling cannot bo dev BtU the derivation is discovered. This last
baa for many years afforded matter for speculation to the ingenious. The moat
plausible of all the etymologSt* aaggested \< Bernhard Schmidts (Dei Volkthben
rchm, pp, U2 full-). II the Greek from the Albanian
Knrki9mt*<tli t whii to the Turkish Kara ( ■ black) -kniid-
jolot ( = loap-garoa). But be doe* not state whether the Turks actually call the
monster* by that name, or vflu believe in them at all. For details
the nature and attribute* of these singular b
• reals ot the Smith, nee EUttoeU Bodd, ftl OaHossi ajajd IfesVni
klor* from the Ipmmtiit in
J o#* ( June 1899, pp. i rgeakis et Leon Pineau. /
*V U*Uv, p. 319. The Macedonian oonet'i ntantially the same,
74
MtmitoH tan Folklore
These malicious 6ends are wont to haunt the peasant's home
and make his life well-nigh unbearable. The belief prevails
that those who have a ■ light ' guardian angel (tkatppov ayyeXovl
are from Christmas till Twelfth Day- — when " the waters are
blessed by the baptism" {{ia^Tttyvrai ra vepa) — transfo:
into monster*, Their nails suddenly grow to an abn-
len^tl mi in red in the face, their eyes become bloo<
and wild, their noses and mouths excrete. In this hi*
guise they n*am from house to house at night, knocking at
the doors. Should they be refused admittance, they climb
down through the chimney and terrify the inmates by pinching,
worrying and defiling them in their sleep. The only w.
escape from these torturers is to seize and bind them with a
straw-rope (-^aGoa^otvo). Those who possess no such I
or do nof fee] equal to the task, take care to retire to I
dwellings before dark and to close their doors hermetically,
letting the diabolical creatures continue knocking until
"The oock, that is the trumpet to the morn,
Doth with his lofty ami shrill -sounding throat
Awake the god of day ; ami at his warning,
Tli' eit&mvag&nt and enfng ipirit hies
T<» his mi! tii i
During the day the Karkantzari resume their ordinary
human shapes. Millers for some reasou or other- — perhaps fed
their notorious inability to resist the insidious advice of the
hopper, "tak 1 it; tak' it 11 — seem to be the favourite victims
of the unclean monsters. The following characteristic tale
throws light on the kind of treatment which millers may azpaot
at the hands of the Karkantzari.
A miller was one evening f riding home from his mill,
between two sacks of flour. Suddenly he espied a pari
Karkantzari a little way off on t be road, and, seized with fear,
he crouched on the pack -saddle, f The enemy soon caught hi in
up and .set about cudgelling hiim without mercy, though not
without some sense of humour \ accompanying each blow with
the exclamation : " Here goesj to the one sack, here to the
other, and here to the load between. ^ ne owaer where is he ?'*
Winter Festivities
75
(Na kjj \ to Ya to <f>opTi6 t va ttfi *f r* aXXo, VU tCJ] \ TO
TravcvyofAit o votfcofcvp^ irovvat ;)
During the period when the Karkantzari are believed tu he
no man solemnized.
All the three great feasts, which are included in the Twelve
Days, are signalized by efforts towards the extinction of these
malevolent demons. In some districts it is the custom on
Christmas Eve * to burn' (tcaiovv) the Kaiktutzrti u Early
at dawn faggots of holm-oak (Traupi'tipia) are lighted and
cast out into the streets. In other places, notably at Melenik,
'they scald* (fe/taTtJow) the Karkantzari to death on New
s Eve. This is done in the following curious manner.
The housewife prepares a number of calve-, called \a\aytci$ia
in re \a\aytctrats or XavKoupuBes), which she fries in a
pan, rotated by her children, While this is going on within
th«' cottage, the good man dressed in a fur coat, wrong side out,
is outside the door dancing and singing:
Kt) yto <TtcavT%6$ t kJ) cv &KavT%o<i*
" XtVTE vti ^OVpC^OVp}},
Tpayava va f3p€%oup.ij»
M I am a Skautzosi, even as thou art one,
Come then, let us dance together
And let us moisten the pnatry."
He continues romping and singing until he hears the hissing
of the syrup, as it is poured over the pancakes, and then he
opens the door and goes in.
In other districts again faggots are collected during the
whole of the Twelve Days and laid up by the hearth. On
Epiphany Eve, fire is set to them in order that the Karkantzari,
who are supposed to be lurking beneath the ashes, may perish.
But the orthodox way of getting rid of the demons is to wait till
the parish priest comes round followed by a verger or a boy,
carrying a copper vessel (pirate par £*) filled with holy water*
In this water the priest dips a cross, decorated with sprigs
of basil, and therewith sprinkles the rooms, chanting a canticle
appropriate to the day. TJhe ceremony is the coup de grdce
76 Macedonian Folklore
for the Karkantzari, who after this blow vanish completely, not
to re-appear till next year.
The Karkantzari seem to be a species of werewolves, akin
to the Wild Boar and the Vrykolakas, to be described hereafter,
and the name (\vKavdpayiroi), by which they are known in some
parts of Southern Greece, leaves little doubt that around them
still clings a shred of the ancient belief in lycanthropy.
Christmas Eve.
At eveufall the village boys form parties and go about
knocking at the doors of the cottages with sticks, shouting
' Kolianda ! Kolianda ! ' and receiving presents. Both the
custom and the stick are named after this cry, which, like
its variants to be noticed in the sequel, is an adaptation of the
Roman and Byzantine term Kalendae. 1
Incense is burnt before supper, a chief item of which is the
cake known as ' Christ's Cake ' (XpiaroTrrjTTa). In Southern
Greece it is also the custom to make on this day a special
kind of flat loaves with a cross drawn on the top and called
'Christ's Loaves' (XpicrToyfrcona). The cloth is not removed
from the table; but everything is left as it is, in the belief
that " Christ will come and eat " during the night. A log is
left burning in the hearth, intended to ward off the Karkantzari.
In Thessaly an old shoe is also thrown into the fire : the smoke
and the smell of burnt leather being considered offensive to
the nostrils of these fiends.
With the custom of leaving the cloth on the table and a
burning log in the hearth may be compared the similar ob-
servance in Brittany and other parts of Western Europe on
the eve of All Souls' Day, the theory in those countries being
that the souls of the departed will come and partake of the
1 In Southern Greece the name retains more of its original form {KdXavda)
and is applied to the Christmas carols. The Russians also call the Christmas
festival Kolydda, and the songs sung on Christmas Eve Kolyadki, a word
apparently introduced into Slavonic countries, along with the Christian religion,
from Constantinople.
Win -;t! rit it*
77
md warm themselves at the fire, while their living
are in b
Oh ChriM niing, on th back from 'hureh,
h pick up a stone which fchey deposit Ln
r («ya»v*a), allowing it to remain there til]
Twelfth I i en it is thrown away. An analogous en
Year's Day in of the islands ©f the
Jhios, When the family return home
Bruno he father picks up a BUttie which be
rd, with the wish that the New Year may
bring with it l, as much fa the weight of tin
n entering into the house at the head of his fn
- a pomegranate out tie
id On the symbolic significance ascribed to the- fruit
[ will comment later.
New Yearn L)<
og and be Duetotne con-
nected with the ' First ol the Yew ' I Upwroxpovin). Off Bt BaaiTs
I roil W BaatKijy
On the Eve every houaehi nrndedwith 'St Basil's
te' (Ra<7i\o7rrfTTa). in whir! .e.-alcd a silver coin and
This cake — which corresponds
ht, but in taste is raj much
-ueeup! >f honour on the
ipper table ■ ite. who also
gates with frank first the table ami then ■
lling. Tins ceremony over, the family t;ike
ns round the table. The father and
on and break it into two
pieces, which are again subdivided b ad of the family
into shares. xt portion U destined t the
whose icon is in the h
Is for the boose itself The third far the
urth
78
Mae* don km FoUdor\
for the inanimate property, and the rest for each member of
the household according to age. Each portion is successively
dipped in a cop of wine, with an appropriate preface, e.g.
" This is for our grandfather, St Basil** (yta top Trdirwov tqv "At
Raal\i}\ and so forth.
He who finds the cross or the coin in his share of the cake
is considered lucky, and whatever he undertakes to do during
the coming year is sure to prosper. The money is looked upou
as sacred and is devoted to the purchase of a votive taper. The
custom of hiding a ring, a coin, or a bean in a cake about the
time of the New Year is prevalent in many nations, our own
included. According to mythologies the ring represents the
sun, hidden and, as it were, buried by wintry stonns and
clouds 1 — an ingenious theory, and quite as plausible
mythological interpretations of custom.
Supper over, the table is removed to a corner of the room,
with all the remnants of the feast left upon it, that " St Basil
may come and partake thereof" The fire is also kept up
throughout the night The rest of the evening is spent in
games among which Divination holds a prominent position.
As the household sit round the hearth, some one lays upon
the hot cinders a pair of wild olive leaves (y^ap^aalXa),
mentally allotting each of them to a youth and a maid. If
the leaves crumple up and draw near each other, the on-
lookers conclude that the two young people represented thereby
love each other dearly, the reverse, if the leaves recoil apart
If both leaves, instead of shrinking, flare up aud are utterly
consumed, that is a sign that the couple are excessively fond of
each other.' This is the form of the game at Liakkovikia. 3 In
other districts, in lieu of leaves, they use the buds of a cornel-
branch (Kpavid), and name the lad and lass to each particular
1 Ralston, Songs of the Russian PeopU, p. 201.
* A slightly different meaning is attached to the performance in He nick's
Allusion to it :
**Of crackling laurel, which fore*sounds
A plenteous harvest to your grounds." Hetperide*.
Cp. Divination by nuts in England on St Mark's Eve {April 25), Tit* Book of
Bays, vol, L p, 5M.
3 A. A. Vovfflov, *"H Kara t6 Udyyatoy Xwpa: p. 49.
Winter Festivities
79
pair. If cither of the two buds bursts and jumps up, it is taken
as a proof that the person for whom it stands is enamoured of
the other. Should they both hurst and jump, the feeling is
reciprocated, the reverse being augured if the buds remain
impassive.
It is hardly necessary to remind the English, and still less
the Scotch reader, of the similar charm of 'burning the nuts'
practised in the North on the eve or vigil of All Saints' Day,
and made classical by Burns's poem of IlttUaween. The en
gei ins to be a relic of Roman superstition. On New Y^ar's
Day iKtii. Jan.) the Romans took mnens from pistils of the
saffron plant, as Ovid, so rich in folk-lore, informs us:
Oernia, odoratis ut luceat jgiiihus aether,
Efc sonet accenais $} *a foe is? 1
1 Gift £86fl f or * 1 1 i i ■ i 1 1 i D gfi ' ( (jadaniya) of various kinds are
also popular among the Russians, and are especially in vogue
during the evenings of the Twelve I
Maidens, not satisfied with this method of divination which,
besides being vague, labours under the disadvantage of being
regarded more or less in the light o( a mere frivolous pastime,
have recourse to a much more serious and convincing expedient.
They steal a morsel of St Basil's Cake and conceal it in their
bosom, taking good care not to be seen by any one. On going
to bed they say " St Basil, worker of wonders, grant that what-
ever is my destiny may appear to-night' 1 ("At BacjtXjj 0afia-
rovpye f o t Tt elvai m <f>ai'j) awo^e). They then put the moist- 1
under their pillow and go to sleep in the certainty of dreaming
■ true dn
An aged lady, and a firm believer, related to me some of
her own early experiences in St Basil's dreamland. She had
in her youth been engaged to be married to a man of whom
she was extremely fond. On the Eve of St Basil's Feast she
pet farmed the ceremony described above. She had scarcely
fallen asleep when her lover appeared to her, pale of face and
sad of mien. Another youth, whom she had never seen in
1 Ovid, Fa*t r i, 75.
a Balaton, Songs of the Ru$#ian PcopU, p. 195.
80
Macedonian Foil-fore
the flesh, stood behind her betrothed and smiled ai her over
his shoulder. Frightened at the apparition she awoke. Then
she made the sign of the cross, whispering " far be the evil
from here!" (patcpva wo 'Sw), nnd relapsed into deep. Where-
upon i\ seeond vision, more dreadful than the first, visited bee
A young man of supernatural beantv stood before her, floating
as it were ID the air at a height of some three feet from the
ground. He was arrayed in a snow-white kilt and held a
canary in either hand. He strangled the one bird and pre-
sented the other to her. 1 And the fair maid awoke, and,
behold, it was a dream. But imnr the less her * spirit was
troubled' like Pharaohs under similar circumstances. And
w. II might it be. For not long after her lover died, and in
-e of time she was uu^-d and won by the strange youth
who smiled at her in her sleep, and whom she re
immediately on seeing him in real life.
The superstition is well-known in England. Girls win i v
to see their future husbands are in the habit of plaen
n&eoe of wedding-cake under their pillows "and extracting
nuptial dreams therefrom/' as Mr Meredith would
In some parts of Macedonia, as Shatista, on New Year's Ew
men or boys armed with bells (bibousaritt) go about making
the night hideous, presumably with a view to frightening evil
spirits away. A similar custom in other districts prevails on
New Year's Day itself. Early in the morning, when the church
bells are ringing for divine service, groups ot lads run up and
down the streets with sticks or clubs in their hands and knock
the people up, crying: w Health and joy to ye! May St Basil
bring plenty of wheat, plenty of barley, and plenty of children
to ye ! " (Tet/t, x a P fr ^ K V 5 Al Baal\t}<; iroWd crnv/ptu, 7ro\X«
Kpiffapta, TroXXrJ TrijBovSta), and persist in doing so until they
have received a gift: rolls, nuts, dry figs etc., which they deposit
in a basket or bag carried for the purpose. A refusal to reward
these noisy well-wishers brings upon the inmates of the house
the reverse of a blessing." In some districts the sticks are
1 This youth she knew to be the An pel of Death.
2 Cp, the old English Shrovetide custom : " The boys go round io small
parties, beaded by a leader, who goes up and knocks al the door, leavn.
Winter Featwitiet
81
replaced by greeti boughs of the cornel or the olive-tree, with
which the boys touch all whom they meet, shouting, "fibfl
Soorval (Bulgarian for r bougha '), May I salute thee next year
also with the soorva" Those who are thus saluted pay tribute
in eoiu or kind.
The green bough is probably an emblem of summer fruit-
fulness and life, as contrasted with the deathly barrenness
of winter, 1 But the noises and the hunting with clubs may
more plausibly be ascribed to the belief in the * ethereal
materiality' of spirits and be compared to analogous practices
current among savage races : the Australians who " annually
followers behind him, armed with a good stock of potsherds. When the door is
opened the hero sings :
A-ihrovin, a-shrovin,
I be come a-skrovm ,
A piece of bread, a piece of cheese,
A bit of your fat bacon ,
Or a dish of dough -nuts,
All of your own making, etc.
Sometimes he gets a bit of bread and cheese, and at some houses he is told to
be gone; in which latter case, he calls up his followers to send their missiles hi
I a rattling broadside against the door." The Book of Days, vol. i. p. 239. Also
Ash- Wednesday, IM4,
1 Cp„ however, the Scotch custom : M Un the last night of the year they
(the Fairies) are kept out by decorating the house with holly." 7. G. Campbell,
1 the Highland* and Island* of Sc&ilamd, p. *20.
With these celebrations: the procession of the boys, their green boughs,
their demand for presents, arid their imprecations against those who refuse, we
may compare the May 1 * ies in Western bluropo, of which Mannhardt,
quoted by Mr Frazer, says: "These begging processions with May -trees or
May-boughs from door to door had everywhere originally a serines and, so to
speak, sacramental significance ; people really believed that the pod of growth
was present unseen in the bough.'' "In other words, the mummer was
regarded not as an image but as an actual representative of the spirit of
vegetation ; hence the wish expressed hy the attendants on the May- rose and
the May-tree that those who refuse them gifts of eggs, bacon, and so forth t may
have no share in the blessing which it is in the power of the itinerant spirit
to bestow. M The Golden SottfA, vol. i. p. '212. The same, or a closely similar
explanation might be extended to the begging or *'gooding JT processions of the
1st of March, of the Feast of Lazarus, and of Palm Sunday, already noticed,
•a well as to that of the Feast of St John (Jan. 7th} to be described in the
sequel. They all have some of the main characteristics in common, though the
11 bough" does not figure in all of them,
A. F. 6
82 Macedonian Folklore
drive from their midst the accumulated ghosts of the last year's
dead/' for example, or still better, the Gold Coast negroes who
" from time to time turn out with clubs and torches to drive
the evil spirits from their towns ; rushing about and beating the
air, with frantic howling." 1
After service are exchanged the customary wishes "For
many years " (K17 V h"n iroWd), and the boys, holding olive-
branches in their hands, visit the various houses, singing ' The
Ballad of St Basil ' (KdXavBa, KoXiapra, or KoXvvrpa rod "hi
BcuTLkrj) — a somewhat inconsequential composition, of which
the following is an example.
First of the month, and first of the year ; may it prove a happy year !
St Basil is coming from Caesarea,
He is holding a picture and a book ; a book and an inkhorn.
The inkhorn wrote and the book spoke.
" my Basil, from whence art thou coming, from whence art thou
descending ? "
"From my mother I am coming, to the schoolmaster I am going."
"Stay and eat, stay and drink, stay and sing unto us."
•" I am learned in book-lore : songs I know not."
4i Since thou art book-learned, recite us the alpha-beta."
He leant upon his staff to recite the alpha-beta.
And, behold ! the staff, dry though it was, put forth green twigs.
And upon its young twigs little birds were singing,
And beneath, at its young roots, springs were rippling,
And the partridges repaired thither to drink with the little birds,
And all winged things, even the young doves,
They fill their claws with water, and their wings with musk,
And they sprinkle our lord, may his years be many !'
These carols in some places are sung by Ian tern -bearing
boys on the eve. The custom corresponds to the practice of
Russian boys who on New Year's Eve " go about from house to
house scattering grain of different kinds, but chiefly oats,
singing Ovsdnevuiya Pyesni."* It is also interesting to note
1 Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. n. p. 199 ; J. G. Frazer, The Golden Bough,
-vol. m. pp. 70 foil.
' The text of this song is given in A. A. Towrlov, ''H *ar& rb TLdyyaioy
Xuyxx,' p. 38. It presents few points of difference from the well-known versions
published by Passow (Nos. 294, 296—8, etc.).
* Ralston, Song* of the Russian People, p. 202.
Winter Festivities 83
that the presents which the singers receive are considered by
Russian mycologists as " standing in lieu of the old contribu-
tions towards a sacrifice to the gods." 1
In older days parallel customs were current in Scotland and
the north of England. But instead of olive-boughs the visitors
used to carry round from house to house the Wassail bowl
adorned with ribbons, wishing the inhabitants a prosperous
year, and begging for the wherewithal to fill it. The songs
also find their counterparts in the New Tear carols of north
Britain. 1
The dry figs and other sweet things, symbols of happiness,
which are given to the boys on this day, might perhaps be
traced to the Roman New- Year's gifts.'
The 2nd of January.
Early in the morning it is the custom in some districts of
Macedonia to carry water from the fountain without speaking —
" silent water " — and to pour it out across the yard and up the
stairs, expressing by this symbol the wish that the life of the
family during the new year may run as smoothly as the water
1 ib. p. 206.
* One of them, a Gloucestershire composition, began :
Wassail ! wassail! over the town,
Our toast it is white, our ale it is brown:
Our bowl it is made of the maplin tree,
We be good fellows all ; I drink to thee.
A still closer parallel is offered by an old English children's song :
Here we come a wassailing,
Among the leares so green,
Here we come a wandering
So fair to be seen.
Chorus. Lore and joy come to yon,
And to yoar wassel too,
And God send you a happy New Year,
A New Tear, etc
The Book of Days, vol. I. p. 28.
* Ovid, Fait. I. 1S5.
6—2
84 Macedonian Folklore
flows. The Highlanders also in days gone by indulged in
mysterious water drawn over-night in solemn silence, of which
all the members of the household drank, and with which they
were sprinkled, in order to fortify themselves against the
attacks of witches and demons during the ensuing year.
Another superstitious custom belonging to this day is due
to the belief of the Macedonians in the good or ill influence of
the ' first foot/ He or she who enters a house first is supposed
to bring into it good or bad luck for the whole twelvemonth.
This belief gives rise to a curious observance. The visitor
before crossing the threshold picks up a stone — token of
strength, — or a green twig — emblem of health and fruitful-
ness, — and lays it on the hearth. He also brings with him
some grains of salt which he casts into the flames, and then,
squatting by the fire-side, wishes his hosts " a prosperous year,
a plentiful crop, and many blessings" (KaXtf ypovia^ tcaXrj
'aoSui Kai TToXKd dyaOd). Then, as the grains of salt burst
and crackle in the fire, he utters the following quaint formula :
"As I am sitting, even so may sit the hen and warm the
eggs. As this salt splits, even so may split the eggs of the
clucking hen and the chickens come forth " ("Or©? icdOovfiai
yd>, erai vd KaOtyrai k 17 bpvlOa vd ^earaivr) r. avyd. "07ro>9
a/cd&t, avro to a\as, erai vd a/cd£ovv Kai t avyd T179 kXgmt-
aapias teal vd fiyaivovv rd irovkid)} In some villages, like
Pravi, the wish takes a slightly different form : " as many sparks
fly from the splitting salt, so many chickens may be hatched
by the brooding hen." In consistency and realistic vividness it
would not be easy to match these acts of folk symbolism.
The salt cast into the flames may perhaps have originally
been meant as a sacrifice to the ancestral spirits of the family,
and may be a survival of the mica salts, offered by the Romans
to the deified shades of the dead during the feast of the
Parentalia*
The ceremony is known as iroSapKiuafia. The prosperity
or adversity of the household through the year is attributed
to the lucky or unlucky ' footing ' (woSia/co or iroSapitco) of the
1 A. A. Tovalov, *'H Kara rd Udyyaior Xw/xi,' p. 39.
8 Ovid, Fast. u. 414.
Winter Festivities
85
r who was the first * to set foot ' (7roo«'p/etao~e) within the
I nisei ve- with
ao UnltK ii this day.
lb bj old u the Book o£ G ml possibly
Jacob In Betting forth the bleasingn which
I i ln> uncte Laban since he joined hu lays
• >n the good luck due to htm: "the Lord
e aincv my © (Heh. <tt my foot, Sept «ri toj ttoSi
hat the ned
a lik- m, unless the epithet 'fail footed ' (aaXArow),
1 by Suidas, is taken to mean "with good, orai;
ration perfectly possible, but hardly Buflk
rablish r e of a superstition.*
Nor is the dread o ten oonfined bo this
particular gh, <>r ooum evil is moat strictly
guarded against at the beginning of the o irae
omen is taken -oomer, guest or servant,
real It is especially <1 in the case of
vly-mun pie. It the man's affairs tak '-op-
tionally p la torn, it I that the bride "has brought
i luck" it/"' ifap* rvxv)' ar *d 8ru ' w heooefortk
as a 'lucky woman' (n/jgajM) w Ka\oppi^tKJ}\ An
belief - t* • the 'first handing 1 (xcptxo).
with a good hand, o&hera with an evil
ppi^tKo and tcaxopptZiKo \*pi) and B Midesrnan con-
attendfl his business during
lay into the good or evil influence of his first customer in
rthor, a ipoi aid to have an 'unlucky
hand' if I he children which he ha* helped to chn
•aid to possess a ' nice '
'nasi rifAo or avoaro jfe/n) according to tie
of hi-
Cp. ih. mil. 5.
1 Foe »n interwtinjt account of the ftrrt*foot custom ui Scotland nc* Th*
Day; voL L pp. 2ti foil.
86 Macedonian Folklore
Twelfth-Day.
(&€0<f>dv€ia or rd 4>&ra.)
On the Eve of the Epiphany a general cleaning is carried
on in every house. The ashes, which accumulated iu the
hearth during the Twelve Days, are swept away and along with
them the Karkantzari, who are believed to be hiding there.
In the evening a special ' Epiphany-Cake ' {^(aroirrjTra), cor-
responding to the old English Twelfth-Cake, is prepared.
" Silly unidea'd girls " sit up all night in the fond, though not
unromantic, hope of seeing " the heavens open " (dvolyovv rd
ovpdvia). This event is expected to take place at dawn, and it
is held that all wishes uttered at that propitious moment will
be instantly realized.
With this Christian superstition may be compared a
Mohammedan practice. The followers of the Prophet on the
27th of Ramazan observe what they call the ' Night of Power '
(Leil-ul-Kadr), the night which "is worth more than a thousand
months." That night, as well as all the four nights from the
26th to the 29th of the month, is spent in prayer, and the
belief prevails that at a certain, though unknown, moment
during that night "all the requests of those who are found
worshipping are granted "' — a belief based on the saying of the
Koran that, " in that night descend the angels and the spirit by
permission of their Lord, carrying His orders in every matter.
It is peace till the rising of the dawn/'"
One is strongly tempted by the close similarity of the two
customs to suspect that the one is an offshoot of the other — a
temptation rendered stronger by the proximity in which Moham-
medans and Christians have lived in Macedonia for so many
centuries. But this hypothesis is precluded by the fact that
the same, or closely analogous, superstitions exist in lands
never trodden by Mohammedan foot. In Russia the Twelve
or, as they are there termed, Holy Evenings are by the rustic
1 «« Odysseas," Turkey in Europe, p. 206.
* The Koran, Sura xcvn. Alkadr.
stivities
87
mind associated with all sorts uf wonderful revelations: hidden
treasures are disclosed during that period, the newborn I >ivinitv
ti down from heaven and wanders About on earth, and,
e all, at midnight on the eve of Christmas and the
fiany § * the h doors are thrown open; the radiant
realms of Paradise, in which the Sun dwells, diactose then
treasures; tb ne amm
o wine, and receive a hi put
Mossoms, ai u fruits ripm lif»n their boughs," 1
♦ as are It will,
i d by the
• •Ionia lie too deep to be d
with ir Kohamnu
The dawn of the I I bj
touting " l 4 -" !
moe fch<
Hut the chid nice on this day is the
oot? described below,
At his it is fii
' v — to th the sea
be village happens to b< i near one or
I or a well He
l] part in the perfbrmaiiee
■ "s a prize for his involuntary immersion. The
u thus disiiugu u buy himself off by paving a
greater sum >d offered Me als
doubtful honour should be infli
upon the proposer instead—a
iption The «un who is final)]
the bvstaii
and they all join m a banqu' with tl»
This custom in Sou : .-ere, in name rf*l living
tigioua q] ( tbe
crtiss i the wat much pomp
by ili< or bishop ohm
tig ma<w. But in either case, e ita
1 lUUtoti Simtf* of tht Uutitutt VtopU % p. 101.
1 A, A. IV ,y**** Xi^a/ p. 40,
88 Macedonian Folklore
remote origin in the "healing efficacy" and other virtues
attributed to the waters at this time of year — an idea, like so
many others, adopted by Christianity, but still retaining enough
of its primitive character to guide the student to its pre-
Christian source. It may be worth while to add that in one
case, in Western Macedonia, I heard the well, used as the scene
of the performance, called ' the Well of the Drakos ' (to TrrpydSi
rov Apatcov). If this was not a simple coincidence, it may be
taken as a hint — obscure indeed, but not utterly valueless —
that perhaps in this ceremony lurks a relic of an old human
sacrifice to the Spirit of the Waters.
January 7th.
On the following day is held one of the many feasts of
St John the Precursor and Baptist ('H avvafc rov Ylpohpopov
/cat BaTTTurrov 'lcodvvov). On that day in the villages of the
interior is observed a custom outwardly analogous to the
Carnival Festivities, which later in the year are popular in the
towns on the coast and in the islands of the Aegean.
Parties of men disguised in old clothes, or goat-skins, and
girt with chains of bells, go about the streets making a terrific
noise and levying blackmail. These mummers are called baboyeri
(fiirafiiroyepoi), but, so far from conducing to merriment, their
object seems to be to strike terror into man, woman, and child.
This practice appears to be the descendant of manners much
earlier than the Italian carnovale, which has been grafted upon
it in the localities brought under Frank influence.
On this day also in some places occurs a custom identical
with those we have already noticed as belonging to the Day of
Lazarus and Palm-Sunday. The following details concerning
the practice at Kataphygi, a village on the slopes of Mount
Olympus, are culled from an interesting sketch by a native
of the district, published in an Athenian magazine several years
ago 1 .
The choristers, corresponding to the Lazarus and Palm
1 T. IlaTaytupylov, < 01 Tlpodpofdrai,' in the 'E<rWa of April 17, 1888.
,'./• Festivities
89
« j here grown up males and are called from the name
« feast 'Precursor Men' (UpoBpopt.tr at). Groups of these
assemble after church in the market place, which in
NkBt of the village is at this time of year
rally covered with snow. Out of the number four are
ad the groups. These are considered the beet
tud represent the tour parishes into
is divided. Each of them, followed by a cortege of
or ten individuals, goes round from house to housr, win iv
i a table ipread ^vith sweets and refreshments,
ken of i he good cheer and made thema '
home, they proceed to fill the skins and boi
irry for them, with everything that they cannot
carry off in auy other way. Then, divided iut < mi-
choru- sing b) turns songs addressed to each member
of tl ,, beginning with a general panegyrn- qq the
use itself. The hyperbolic to. of these e im-
positions detracts nothing from tin ir prefctj muvett. Here
v a few typical examples:
I. To the house.
ESfllf V* Tovrqi* tIjv av\r) Ti) pap tiapoerTpa) new],
9 \&$€$XOvtr %t\ta rrpoffara tcai Bvb xtXidSc? 7161a.
itifiwo rd rcarifta^at* ud ra W€pif3oaKfoaui>>
Kat \ to ffovpb rdv€fja£av vd ra pcpoiroriaovp*
$a<rt\ffi^ €&td/3air€v diro rb ra^eiBto rov,
To fAavpu TOV KOVTQKpaT€l t /cat to /3otric6 p(t>r
** Bpt T*7iop7rav€, ft pi TTurriKt, &p€ KayK€\o<f>pvBaT€ t
To t tA irpbftara r dpyvpo/covBtovura ; "
u T* a$>€i>Tff pas ra rrpojiara r upyvpoKouiwpdTa"
ov etpat to ptavrpt pe rb tfrXupl irkeypivo;"
<t>ivTt) ftav Kal to paprpl p,} to <f>\wpl wXtyfUiw*
Im
Her- IjousaihI sheep arul two thousand gotta
• Invert down bo tbfl plain to bwww on the grua,
They w«i op to the hill to ho watered at the springs.
the king ia p— fug on turn n*turu from uhrmuL
90 Macedonian Folklore
He reins in bis steed and of the shepherd asks :
"0 shepherd, tender of flocks, thou of the arched eyebrows,
Whose are the sheep with the silver bells?"
"My lord's are the sheep with the silver bells."
" And whose is the fold fenced round with a fence of golden coins ? *
"My lord's is the fold fenced round with a fence of golden coins."
II. To the master of the house.
y A<f>€vrrj fiov irpoDTOTifie teal vrpoDTOTifirjfiive,
Hp&rd ce Tifitfaev 6 0eu>$ k varep 6 tcoafios oXos,
£e rifirja-e tcrj 6 /3a<rt\r}a$ vet 7ra<; vet <TT€<f>ava>ar)$.
<Ptadv€i<; <TT€<f>dvia Vo <f>X<opl /ecu ra K-qpia V dafjfju,
Kal to o-T€<f)avop,dvTrfko oXo fiapyaptrdpt.
r Oa darpa % vai '? top ovpavb Kal <f>vXXa Vat 9 ra Sevrpa,
Too* aairp €%ei a<f>4vrr)s fia?> <f>\copid Kal Kapay poena,
Me to Toy dpi tov fierpa, fie rd koiXo rov pi^yei.
'Eifj,€Tprjo'€, l*€fJL£TpT)0'€, rov Xelirovv Tpels xiXid&es,
Kal ttjv fcaXrj tov p<bTT)!*€ Kal ttjv tcaXij tov Xeei*
" KaXrj fiov, irovvai Taairpd fias, Kal iroivai to, <f>Xa>pid fias ; "
" y JLyd) 'Xeya, d<bevTr) fiov, vet fir) fiov to (MOTri^y?,
Kai T(i>pa irov fie p(OT7}l*€s 0d crol to ' fioXoyrjaa).
IJoWoi <f>CXoi fias eireaav Kal rate a fid fie X^9 T ^ 1 ^
My lord, worthy of the first honour and honoured first,
First Heaven hath honoured thee and then the whole world,
The King hath also honoured thee and summoned thee to be his best-man.
Thou makest the wedding wreaths of gold, and the tapers of silver,
And the wedding kerchief broidered with pure pearls.
As many stars as are in the heavens and leaves upon the trees,
So many piastres hath my lord, also florins and black ghroshes.
He measureth them out by the bag, he throweth them away by the
bushel.
One day he counted them, and counted them again : three thousand
are missing.
He questioned his fair one. His fair one he questioneth :
"My fair one, where are our piastres, where are our florins?"
"I hoped, my lord, that thou wouldst not ask me,
But since thou dost ask me, I will confess unto thee :
We were beset by too many Mends, and have squandered our fortune."
Winter Festivities 91
III. To the mistress of the house.
Aiv irphrovv r dpyvpa Kopmia '9 to vrpdaivo rd pod^o,
Acv it petrei rdv a<f>€vnj f/M? va irai^rj /ie ttjv Koprf
*2 ra yovara va rrfv tcparrj, \ ra pAria va n\v xrd£y
" Koprj fi\ Biv cleat, pohivq, tcopr) p, Sev elcrcu acirprj."
"'Zdv di\rfi papcu poSivq, adv 0£\y<; vdfiat, atrrrpt),
Xvpe \ rifv ' Avt ptavovTTo\i, avpe \ rt) laXovltcr),
K17 arfopaai pov 'fawrXaTo, aep{iid)TiKo £ovvdpi,
Na o*€i&fuu t va \vyL%<op.ai t va <f>aiva)VTai ra KaWrj."
Silver buttons become not a garment worn green.
Nor doe* it become our lord to toy with a maid'
To hold her on his knees, to gaze into her eyes :
"Maid mine, thou art not rosy; maid mine, thou art not fair."
" An thou wouldst me be rosy ; an thou wouldst me be fair,
Hie thee to Adrianople, hie thee to Salonike,
And purchase me a broad Servian girdle,
That I may swing and sway in it, and display my charms."
IV. To a newly-married pair.
(A fragment.)
'Ai/to? fSacrra rr)v vripBuca Vo irdvco '9 rd <f>repd rov,
K* f) TrepSi/ca \d%ev Bapeid teal pdlae to <f>T€po rov.
&*a\a\r)Td&€<; efiafcv 9 oka ra fiiXaeTia"
Iloio? t\ darjfit, aSo\o teal <f>\topOKaTrvio-p4vo
Na Sec' 6 peto? rr) <j>ovvrd rov k r) Koprj ra fiaXKid T179.
An eagle carried aloft a partridge upon his wings.
The partridge chanced to be too heavy, and his wing broke.
They set criers in all the provinces :
"Who owns silver pure or plated with gold (let him produce it),
That the youth may tie therewith his tassel 1 and the maid her tresses."
1 That is, the tassel of his cap.
92 Macedonian Folklore
V. Farewell.
UoXXd y irayx icy aTrovirafie, rd>pa icy awo aifid rov.
Avae t\ cuf>ivrrj p, \v<T€ Ttjv apyvpij catctcovka,
Krj av exO's a<nrpa t 809 /xa? ra, <f>\copui yJ\ ra \\nraacu y
K17 &v %XV* tc & va X a *P^> fc^pva ra TrdXXrftcdpia.
Interval..
*Oaais vyetal? Toaais %apaU teal '<f>iro icy o\o eva t
Na £170-179 xpovovs ktcaro teal trevraKoaia 4>«&Ta,
Na £v<ry? <rav fiv "Ekvfnro, aav r aypio Trepurrepi.
We have sung much and have done with singing. Now let us be gone.
Loosen, my lord, loosen the strings of thy silver purse,
And if thou hast piastres, give of them to us ; gold pieces, spare them not.
And if thou happen'st to have a wine-jar, serve out wine to the lads. 1
They drink, and then continue :
As many healths (as we have drunk) so many rejoicings (may there be)
this year and for ever,
Mayest thou live a hundred years and five hundred Twelfth Days,
Mayest thou live as long as Olympus, as long as the rock-pigeon.
The goodman or his wife gives them some money at parting.
These donations are handed over to the churchwarden of the
parish, who as a reward for their labour invites them on the
following day to a sumptuous banquet. In the evening a dance
is set up in the public dancing-ground, which is thronged by
1 On the similarity between these carols and analogous compositions onoe
popular in England I have commented in a foregoing chapter. The following
description forms an especially close parallel to the Macedonian customs
described above: "At Harrington, in Worcestershire, it is customary for
children on St Thomas's Day to go round the village begging for apples, and
singing—
Wassail, wassail, through the town,
If you've got any apples, throw them down ;
Up with the stocking, and down with the shoe,
If you've got no apples, money will do ;
The jog is white and the ale is brown,
This is the best house in the town."
A kindred custom still surviving in England is that of the ' Advent Images '
or going about with a 'vessel-cup,' the performers being styled 'vessel-cup
singers/ The Book of Days, vol. n. pp. 724 — 5.
88
all the inhabitants of th> The dance is teoOsipuied
held by the
Ballad of Captan SlOUfl Klepht of Agraphfl
*£ r " Ay pa<f>a teXaut, pta tra-rraSid, futcpt) iraTraoWot/Xa,
Ylrjpav oi /cXt<t>Tat$ top vyto t $ctj aXXov ityto hip £;£«.
Vpafovp %aprta teat TrpojBohovv* ypd<f>ovp j(aprut teal areXt'ovi"
" *S tfVtya, KaTrtrap-Xraffa, \ o\a ru Tra\X7)tc(ipm.
)(a\ao-T€ to J' uyta, t* a\Xop vyto &€P fy **
lerawpa^ta \ top ypa^p.artKo. wioXl *e top fcawerdpo,
nrwpa Vf?/io/ia%aipo \ oXa ra 7raXXr}tctipia.
In tfafl town «>f Ajjrapha there weeps ft priesteaa, tlie yotmg wifeof a prieet;
F'»r the origan 1 off be) has no other sou,
ed, letters Lire written and sent:
"Tu thee, ^ and all thy braver. —
Kill ve n t, t>»r no other sod have 1,
promise) broa#t-pLat*a for t iry, and • pfoti 1 for the Otptftin,
knife apiece for all the bravea?*
The Basil
ng ill.- in i*l •MimiikM' and mulwinh i ceremon
of the Maoe<l asantry [ have had occasion more than
nee to alluil plant kin»wn k> the ancients as * ocimum
xtpov (BaatXtK d and BOH called simply * royal*
i$aa(Xitc<>, \\ e ii ' ieed it employed in the decoration* of
ba* divining pitcher 1 in June, and in ttti sprinkling away of
be dreadful Earkaotsari in Jatraarj i only two ol
which the basil plays in the peasant's life,
an secular. Its title fa Dot a misnomer. The
Jlv and truly considered by the peasants aa a lYimv
ag plants I >vereignty to
its leaves, or totb ty of its
uutive bl< m.i which clings to both
» all ap|
bfl rjMmag of which I neither know nor can guoit. It
r be * form of «i*tAX* *a pistol, which would LoIadoc the * breasl.pUte*.'
94
Man don Ian Folklore
that may be, the basil is held in very hi^li esteem and
to know it, if any taith can be placed in the poetic conceits of
the following songs, which I heard at different times in two
different parts of Macedonia.
L (From Melenik.)
Eaai\tK€ fMov rpiKXwe, /±^i> TroXvrrpaatpiZys.
'Er/mpLat to yapopcf>vXXo, to wp&ro ro XouXavSi,
YLov ro <f>opovp $ €jj,op<f>ai\~ fcf} oXats y ftavpofip.dTf}^ t
Ylov to (fropei dyaTnj piav dvapLeaa \ rd arqffea.
The Pink and the Basil.
"My three-branched basil, bloom thou not so proudly green!
I am the pink, first among flowers,
Which the fair maiden* and all the black-eyed ones wear,
Which my own love wears between her breasts."
II. (From Nigrita.)
*0 *8v6&fio<; teg o fSaatXtKo*; teai to fiaKeSoinjat
Ta ovo Ta Tpia fidXtapap /cal irqyatvav <? tt; Kpiat.
Typify t 6 j3ao-tXtKOS teal Xiet *? Ta \ov\ov&ta m
* Sam&rc, fipwpoXovXovcya, teal pijp woXvwcupecTe !
'Eycl/tat 6 ftaatXtfcos o p,otr)(opLvpttrp,€Po<i t
*Eyw pkvplfo irpdatvos tcaOax; teal GT€y iwpL&vos,
Kyio pswaipw \ tous dytaajiov^ tc els tov iraird Ta %€pta t
n \Lyw tptXw rj5? €jj,oprf>atv teat tjjs paupop>fj,aTQva'ai<;.
The Peppet^mint, the Basil, and the Parsley.
The peppermint) the hailfl, and the parsley,
The two between them, and all three amongst them wrangled and went
to judgment :
Then turns the basil and thus addresses the (other) plants :
" Hold your tongues, ye ill-smelling hcrhsj and 1h) ye not over-boastful :
1 am basil the musk -aceu ted.
1 am sweetly fragrant when green and also when dry.
I enter into the Holy Services and into the Priest's own hands.
I kiss the fair maidens and the black-eyed ones ! "
HIAPTER VIIL
DIVIN ATluX.
Uflwd in eon-
John in summer, and New Year's
Ere ere are several methods of divination which
art? ii ied to any particular season of the year: the oracle
it always open and read; to the cravings of the an-
fain to be fulfilled— provide* I
tioner has faith, and a moderate capacity lor
divination by tea, or 'cup-reading/ still r red
llj in Scotch country places,
rape practice of divining by toffee; One
solitary bubble in the centre of the cup betokens that the
person holdin iunch and faithful friend. If
there are fonning a ring close to the edj
the cup, the \ that he is Bckle in his afl and that
his heart is divided between several objects of worthipJ The
grounds o krioual] explained
according to the forms which they .t>smne: Ef they spread
round the cap in the shape of rivulet* and stream- money is
pro;; rtb.
A "I another, now, to the heel of mv klMH
divination, probably survive* in the proverb:
ttairoiOK Btv €i%€ ttqiqp va pwTfjeij tcai peorovat to St/cavuct tow.
k Coffee hnbbU* poaMM a meteorological meaning in English folkl
Iuw»niv In America, appropriately enough, "a JR
khhlm 09 money/' Mem<
Uw* Society, vol. iv. i
96 Macedonian Folklore
" Some one in want of a counsellor consulted his staff." The
phrase seems to be a reminiscence of an old use of the wand for
purposes similar to those of the modern 'divining rod.' 1 At
any rate, the demanding advice of the staff forcibly recalls the
biblical passage u My people ask counsel at their stocks, and
their staff declareth unto them." 8
"The riddles are working miracles and the sieves are
dropping " (Oaftarovpyovv ret Koatciva koI wtyrovv g irvKvab^)
is another popular saying, used to describe any unaccountable
or sudden noise in the house. It probably alludes to the " feats
of impulsive pots, pans, beds and chairs," spoken of by
Mr Andrew Lang, 8 with, perhaps, a faint reference to coscino-
mancy — one of the commonest of classic and mediaeval methods
of divination. Its meaning, however, is entirely gone, and it
remains as a mere phrase or figure of speech.
It is with a sense of relief that one turns from the shadowy
regions of conjecture to the realms of reality. To the methods
of hydroraancy, or divination by water, described already,
deserves to be added the art of divining by bones — an art
still resting upon the firm rock of credulity. The principal
instrument used in this kind of divination is the shoulder-blade
(wfjioirXaTTj) of a lamb or kid, and hence the process is techni-
cally termed omoplatoscopy. When the bone in question has
been carefully cleansed of the meat which adheres to it, it is
held up to the light and subjected to the expert's scrutiny : if
its colour is a glowing red, it portends prosperity ; if white, and
semi-transparent, it forebodes extreme poverty and misery.
This general interpretation is supplemented and modified by
various minor details. Thus, for example, black spots round
the edges and only a small darkish space in the middle are
omens of impending disaster. A white transparent line running
across from end to end indicates a journey. Black veins fore-
1 See A. Lang, Custom and Myth, pp. 180-196.
a Hosea iv. 12.
* Cock Lane and Common Sense, p. 31.
The case from Mr Graham Daly ell's Darker Superstitions of Scotland, quoted
by the same author (ib. p. 123) where " The sive and the wecht dancit throw
the hous " is particularly in point.
Divination
97
shadow discord and war, A hollow or a tumour on the bui
U a sign of serious calamity, such as dangerous illness or I
death. The same rules apply to the examination of a fowl's
breast-bone (arifdapt), which the folk from its shape fant
cally call 'saddle' {aaptipt) or 'camel ' (KapLrj\a\ For
is clear and pale with only the three corners sfaado
188 to the owner. For this purpose a hen
k is specially kept in the villagers poultj and
i cooked, the breast-bom is
extracted, and some modern Calchas sets to work "to l<>nk fin
the luck of the household " (t*a StovpLiE rov (rrrirtau ro rv^€po).
joopy chiefly flourishes among the all of
Macedonia, arc! is also » y cultivated in
mia. 1 But, afl rotklorists are aware, this quaint art — a
relic of ancient haruspication — is by I m confined to the
Balkan Peninsula At one inn- it must have been Spread tar
and wide through Europe ; for we sXill rind survivals of it both
nrinent aid lslrv In England it is
very Appropriately termed "reading the spenl-bone (*p$c
e*pau to th» «,ld Chinese divine
by the en i tortoise-shell on the fire. It is very populftf
ill Tartary, and on the discovery of tie V'orld the North-
American Indians wer. found familiar with it. T
* would put iu the tire a certain flat boBfi ■ >*
and judge from iu colour if the porcupine hunt would U
Thi ■ nco of tins method of divination n md
Ireland and China su^getti fcbe probl
h so freo.i nfronts the studenr <it custom [l i« due
one country to another, or is it a otA
•n t If the former, when aud how and by
ii was it tra md did it first | m
It u perfa&pi the difficulty, not to
popoeribility, erf gi< >atisfactory m«wer to these
questions that usually induce)* folklori view of
spoutanc i development, though in many
rh<$ in the Highland* of Turkey , rol. L p
124.
JLF. 7
98 Macedonian Folklore
cases — and this is one of them — it is not quite clear why different
nations should have hit upon exactly identical modes of action.
Another custom connected with a fowl's skeleton ought
perhaps to be mentioned here, though it is a mere game and
bears only a distant relation to divination. This is the pastime
known as Yadis, or 'Remembrance/ 1 The 'merry-thought*
or, as it is still called in some parts of England and Ireland,
' wishing-bone ' of the fowl is picked out, and two persons take
bold of it, each gripping one arm with bis little finger and
tugging until the fork has snapped. From that moment the
two parties are careful not to accept any object handed by one
to the other, without saying " Yadis" He who is the first
to forget forfeits something agreed upon beforehand. It is
a wager, or rather a trial of rival memories.
Several other superstitions of a kindred nature may be
noticed in this connection.
A flickering flame in the fire, or an upright excrescence in
a burning candle, is interpreted as predicting the arrival of a
guest, whose stature is judged by the length of the flame or
excrescence. This mode of divination by the fire is not un-
known in England. Mrs Elizabeth Berry, for instance, " noted
a supernatural tendency in her parlour fire to burn all on
one side," and she very shrewdly concluded that a wedding
approached the house — a conclusion fully justified by the
event, as readers of Mr Meredith's Richard Feverel will
remember. 8
If in carving bread a thin slice drops out of the loaf, it
is supposed to indicate the return of a friend or relative from
foreign parts.* The same intimation is conveyed by bubbles in
coffee, or by the accidental fall of a piece of soap on the floor.
If one drains a glass of the contents of which some one else
has partaken, he will learn the secrets of the latter.
1 Persian yad, 'memory.'
3 Fires and candles also prognosticate changes in the weather in English
folklore; see R. Inwards, Weather Lore, p. 197.
8 In America " if yon drop a slice of bread with the buttered side up, it is
a sign of a visitor." Memoirs of the American Folk-Lore Society, vol. iv. p. 89 ;
see also pp. 90 foil.
Divination
w
ii wi|n' their bands on the hum towel at fche
.• umu, they will soon qtt&i oilar rupture attends
of reeeiviog a tablet tp directly fron another
i*8 hand. To avoid sad i people are careful
to la> ip down, instead of handing it to each other
e their g: islw
lie on the same day.
It ?> ntally tuned toee upward, it ii im-
-t its owner should die. For this i> the
Ld mans feet.
jrifig ill bed with the head towards the i also a
posti; lemblafl the position of the corpse
when lying in state,
imilar reason three lights in a room constitute a fatal
sign, ns they recall tie indies burning b m corpse
e the funeral'
Lil is unlu oeasured, for it suggests the
taking of one nt> for the construction of one's coffin *
To sit with tie fa ' hands portends the
km of Ott M the peasants strangely put it,
I "Too *il! mother's bones!" {0a ^>a? ra
«6<Ka\a tt)<? puvvas aov\ Sitting with the ringers interlocked
is ItV tl evil QCD6Q, Pol both attittld€fl are typical of b
It lie becomes loosened, it D wtitnan
enceinte belonging to the family has just been d. -liven d. This
is ur 1 1 v inatioii derived from
pathetic or i jio A girdle loosened accidentally is
Coos aay dellVerv. fa olden trims
deliberately loosened En ovA
p. similar •upri \f attain ©/ ffo .4 nun ran J-'oO".
Lore &**rly, voL rv. p. IHS.
* In Amine* tUo ** Three Utnp* or eatullc* burned do*e together mt%o
* Gil t t be me»euml, it *
iu powiaf Ibm i« >>mt" ib, p, 33.
* Cp, <». GoarRctkii • iff d* t*tba$ t p. 885.
r— *
100 Macedonian Folklore
bring about this effect. Conversely, we are told, " the physical
obstacle or impediment of a knot on a cord would create a
corresponding obstacle or impediment in the body of the
woman." 1 Perhaps a similar idea underlies the ancient Greek
expression £a>w)v \veiv ' to unloose the girdle/ applied to Artemis
in her character of patroness of women in travail.
If one's leg grows numb, he must spit three times upon it,
that the stiffness may go to a female relative in an interesting
condition and accelerate her delivery,
If the thread gets tangled in sewing, that suggests that the
garment on which it is employed will bring health and prosperity
to the person who is to wear it (6a to fyopear) jik x a P<* or M*
vyeia), the influence of the tangled thread being akin to that
of a knot, with which we shall become more familiar in the
course of this treatise.
If the hem of a garment turns up on the back, the wearer
is destined to get a new one soon, 3 an omen resting on the
notion that a coat worn wrong side out brings luck to the owner
and protects him against sorcery (Se rov iriavovv ra fidryeta).
When one puts on a new dress, it is the custom to wish
him joy of it : " May you wear it with health "• (Na to x a PV**
No to <f>ope<rr)<; fj£ 'yeia, etc.). Like wishes are offered on the
purchase of anything new, the building of a new house, etc. 4
At the end of a meal, or after having partaken of any re-
freshment, it is polite for the host to wish his guest "with
health " (Me ttj<; vyeicus ca$).
If a visitor finds the people on whom he calls at table, it is
a sign that his mother-in-law will be fond of him, a blessing as
great as it is rare.
That he will be loved by his mother-in-law, or that he will
1 For an exhaustive dissertation on Knots at Childbirth, see J. G. Frazer,
The Golden Bough, vol. i. pp. 392 foil.
9 The same superstition exists in America, Memoir* of the American Folk-
Lore Society, vol. iv. p. 142.
* Gp. a similar custom among the Celts : J. G. Campbell, Superstitions of the
Highlands and Islands of Scotland, p. 231.
4 The Arabs also on these occasions wish the owner that his possession may
prove 'prosperous ' (mabrook).
Divination
101
>r, is also pi <*ated of one whu likes to eat
the crust of bi
if one, while eating, leaves a ratal] bit inadvertently, it is
ttaid that son family is bungry. But if he
leaves it purposely, he is mad it, or else he will lose his
sweetheart
; is bruki more things will follow, that
number of the Trinity may be OOmpleted {eyit e ayia
<h an accident u red as up; meeifl,
and some h lO&Bok themselves with the reflection
that the 'ill luck* {yovpo-ov&d) has spent itself, and -i
Pbave turn,
bow< k upon it as a forerun more serious oal&n
anJ cn»ss n Bfl while despondently ring "may it
turn out VI *i *a\6 va ^as gyr) /),
wit
v eeptog II is it sweeps away the *pr-
n tov o^rtTtoti), The same super*
tbe island 'gean,' ai
parts m well as m many other countries, inche
Nor the house
nlpa ftamXtyt) 6 l{Xt*f)t If press« mist
ot the contents of the pitcher before
g it away. The same on applies t<> leaves (Trpofu/itj.
i nut to be «lrawn after dark. 4
r a sieve im . any acemint be lent out of the
bouse at any tm or night. 1* is believed that along
with these articles trill depart the prospen family.
> ricA il is held that " if then- it* a death tlwte will b
• on breuk
wiU break two otil ' Itrmoin of the American Folk
l». Bout, Folklore from the Southern Spomdet,' in lulk-Lort,
-
i 47*
dud Lor* of Mod* t pu 166,
102 Macedonian Folklore
In Lesbos onions, salt and matches are the articles forbidden
to be given out of the house after sunset. 1
It is interesting and instructive to compare with these
some superstitions prevailing in the Highlands of Scotland :
" A sieve should not be allowed out of the house after dark,
and no meal, unless it be sprinkled with salt. Otherwise, the
Fairies may, by means of them, take the substance out of the
whole farm produce." 2
On certain days of the year also the Scotch forbore giving
fire out of the house. On Beltane and Lammas especially,
" it should not be given, even to a neighbour whose fire had gone
out. It would give him the means of taking the substance or
benefit (toradh) from the cows." 8
The reason alleged for the Celt's custom corresponds with
the Macedonian expression that these articles, if allowed out
of the house, " will take away the prosperity of the family."
The prohibition concerning the loan of a sieve may more
particularly be accounted for by the belief that a sieve forms
a strong safeguard against evil spirits and witches.
It is further said that you should not "eat bread," that
is dine, at sundown. A possible explanation of this behest
may be found in several Greek folk-songs. From these com-
positions we learn that Charontas (Death) and his wife
Charontissa sup at that time of the day. 4
Concerning bread, salt, etc.
The spilling of wine is a sign of wealth ; the spilling of
pepper betokens a quarrel. But the spilling of oil, vinegar, 5 or
arrack forebodes nothing less than the ruin of the household.
If one wilfully scatters salt upon the ground and does not
1 O. Georgeakis et Leon Pineau, Le Folk-Lore de Lesbos, p. 328.
' J. G. Campbell, Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland,
p. 35.
» 16. p. 234.
4 Bernhardt Schmidt, Lieder von Charos und der Unterwelt, Nos. 25-27.
5 It is perhaps significant that in some parts of Greece Proper, the name
for vinegar is the euphemistic term y\vK&6i * sweet,' instead of £«& 'soar,'
which is the ordinary word.
Divination
103
hasten to pick it up, it is believed that in the next world he
be doomed to pick up grains of salt with hi*
This belief exemplifies in a vivid man nor the veneration
which n v the people. It is boked upon
1 any wanton we ail) to be
ulue set on sail less high elsewhere. Among
h Highlanders and Islanders the bl salt was
eel an unpardonable crime ly punished both
in thu and in the life t<» come. 1 In America also spilling
• i
like sacnil degree if possible,
rumba are thrown out in the street.
take the 1 bej take care that the
,bs shall fall into BOOM <Mit-of-the-wa\ OOtner, wl
can be picked ap by the birds. It a piece of brand lies on the
road, i-aut dares not tread upon it; on the contrary, he
icka it up and deposits it in some crevice in a wall or
hedge, beyond the reach of prolan* feel. " By the bread which
we eal | Ma to ^tapl irov rpw^n) is a usual form of emphatic
^ asseveration. Abuse iii-n titin sion in a
tiie bread, juet as of his faith (irlan), religi
ftgOt hi ui \ro yovtto), or the tt
uyia).
Women in kneading bread frequently draw of the
tough, before tliev p rooood to separate U into
6fc A CTOefl l ally drawn OB the first kneaded and
^pwrotyZpt ), which should not be "it of the
• customary to make the sign of the cross with
the L fa loaf or call g it,
Mohammedans go even further in their veneration of
e, but * break'
plaining that it is imptoo nod bread with steel,
nilar beli 1 prevail among
O. CuniitwU, Sup*.ntUi*n* of tht Highlttul* tad l*Umd> of Srottand,
• .Vfwi/i nf tkt American Folk* I *orw Society, vol. rr. p. &*,
104
mian Folklore
the Slam 1 We have all heard of the 'bread and salt/ ofi
of hospitality which in Slavonic lands form a chief [tea in the
reception of a guest, and which even figure in the enthnnk
nient of a new sovereign.
A kindred superstition was entertained by races even m€
remote than the Slavs, as for example, by the Mexicans, anion
whom n It was thought that if some grains of maize fell on th
ground, he who saw them lying there was bound to lift then
wherein, if he failed, he harmed the maize, which plained itself
of him to God, saying, 'Lord, punish this man, who saw me
fallen and raised me not again; punish him with famine, that
he may learn not to hold me in dishonour 1 /*"
This Mexican prayer of the maize expresses with remarkable
accuracy the Macedonian peasant's feelings on the subject, aud
the motive which dictates his treatment of bread.
Augury.
The vast majority of the omens observed by the Macedonian
peasantry are common to many lands besides Macedonia, aud it
will be one of the present writer's aims to point out some of
the most remarkable instances of similarity. Many of
omens can easily be traced to the principle of symbolism. The
origin of others is not quite so plain. The people themselves
cling to their belief as a matter of tradition handed down
them from early times, but they are unable to account for it.
Omens are often taken from the people ur animals one
meets at the outset of a journey , or on going out in the
morning. It is, for example, unlucky to encounter a priest on
leaving one's huiise in the morning, or on setting forth on a
journey. In that case it is best to postpone the expedition.
It. is worse if a priest is the rirst person you have seen ou a
Monday : everything will go wrong with you throughout the
week.* The evil can only be counteracted by tying a knot i
1 BalfttoD, St m (ft of the Ruuitin Peoptf,, p. *247.
' 2 Sahagun, in A. Lung's GutUm and Mtjttu P* 20.
1 The same superntition exists in Russia, where it is explained by some as
being due to the fact that a priest formerly had the right to line his parishioners
for non-attendance at Sunday maBs.
Divination
105
ones handkerchief, and thus "binding the ill chance" (Biveis
TO KCLKO).
A priest or monk is also considered of ill omen on board
ship. The prefeooe o( bucI) a passenger induces people to look
out for foul weather, 1 This superstition is shared by Italian
and English seamen :
u Them two covies are parsons, I allow. If so, stand by for
foul winds, 1 ' says the little sailor in a popular sea-story,* and
his remark would be as natural on the lips of a Mediterranean
manner as it is on those of the Channel sailor.
A similar dread attaches to meeting a beardless man
(tnravos)* such men being regarded as particularly ill-omened.
The evil character of the Beardless Man is illustrated bv many
folk- tales in which such an individual often plays the role of
the villain.*
Red-haired people are, as among ourselves, eon side red ill-
tempered, though not necessarily ill-omened. Still, 'Red-hair'
(gapdrj rpix a ) i s an expression to be avoided by all lovers of
peace* On the other hand, those born with a white tuft among
their hair are looked upon as lucky, the white tuft being
interpreted as an omen of wealth. Those who have two
BTOWnfl ou the head (Buo tcopvcfraU) are destined to marry twice. 4
At Liakkovikia a child bum with two crowns will rob
someone of his fortune (feVo ft to 8 a <pcij})*
Cripples and deformed persons are called l marked ' (<rr}tt€ta>~
fUvot) by God as a warning to others, and their society is
eschewed
As in England, Scnt-laud. America and elsewhere, so in
dnina it is unlucky to turn back after having gone out of
the house, a superstition recalling the command given to the* man
ul God ; L nor turn again by the same way that thou earnest."*
1 Cp. the proverb iraira ireuM, StajSoX' dyyttrt, "A priest'» child, the Devil's
own grandchild."
I W. Chirk Kusser* What Cheer!
1 See, for example, The Bet with the Beardte** f in Hahn r s * Contea Populaires
Greco,' od. by J. Pio. TV. by E. &L treldurt, Fotk-Lort of Mt&rn <)reece t p. W.
* Cp, Memoir* o/ the American Folk Lore Society, vol. iv. p. 22.
s A. A. rowloi', *'H Kard to Ha^aio? Xti/H*,' p, 7ti.
" 1 Kindts xiii. 9.
108 Macedonian Folklore
superhuman capacity for seeing the invisible, and in the funereal
significance of its howl still survives among our own peasants.
A night-bird heard in the middle of the town portends a
pest or some serious public calamity. A similar meaning
attaches to the notes of a golden plover in the Highlands. 1
The screeching of the eagle-owl (jjLirowfxx;) is especially
considered as a portent of disaster, 2 and so is the cawing of a
crow on the housetop or chimney. Women on hearing them
are in the habit of exclaiming " Eat thine own head ! " (Na <££<?
to ice<f>aki a).
The ancient Greeks seem to have entertained a like fear of
a crow •* sitting and cawing " on the roof of the house.* Nor
has the character of this bird improved with age. Ingratitude
is the special vice with which the modern muse charges the
crow : " Feed a crow that it may peck out your eyes " (rp€<f>€
Kpovva vd <re fiyak* ret yurria).
If clothes are damaged by rats, it is taken as a hint that
there is a dishonest servant in the house. 4 On the other hand,
it is a good omen to see a weasel {yv^Lraa). In connection
with this animal it is interesting to note a superstition pre-
valent at Melenik, and possibly in other districts of Macedonia.
Women, if, after having washed their heads with water drawn
1 J. O. Campbell, Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland,
p. 256.
* This bird both in name and in character seems to be a descendant of the
Latin strix bubo. Gp. the epithets ignavus, profanus, funereus, sinister, etc.
applied to this bird by the Roman writers. The same idea is embodied in
Virgil's lines:
Solaque oalminibas ferali carmine bubo
Saepe queri, et longas in fletom docere 4 voces.
Aen. rv. 462—3.
where the note of the bird is classed among the omens which terribili monitu
horrificant the wretched Dido and drive her to drown despair in death.
By the modern Greeks the name of the bird is also used as a contemptuous
term, denoting a person of superlative simplicity, in the same sense as wroj,
the homed owl, was used by the ancient Greeks, and gull by us. Needless to
add that the /xwoO^os has nothing but the name in common with the buphus,
or egret, of Ornithology.
3 Hes. W. and D. 746-7.
4 In America " If rats gnaw your clothes, you will soon die," Memoirs of the
American Folk-Lore Society, vol. vn. p. 30.
DiriiHttioa
10ft
ight, a headache, set it down to the
fact thai in that tee] bad its face reflected as in a
(yua\laTf]K€\ t and they can-fully refrain from
tioning the aoimal'i name, lest it should cause the clothes
in the wardrobes to d>
Th stition regarding the weasel is explained by a
legend euuvnt KB Southern (Jreece, The name vv^ira-a, or
'littl <>ry runs, was given to the animal
beea< ace was a bride, who for some forgotten reason was
ito a dumb creature. Hence she is envious of
es at their wedding drewee. 1
regarded as lucky, and the killing of one as a
It is likewise sinful to turn a tortoise upside down, tor
thai xplaiued as an insult to Hie Ih ity ip.ouT%Mvu
rep A
j the Ohmttanfl and the Mohammedans,
hut especially among the latter, are looked upon with a
favourable eye, and their arrival is hailed as a sign of p
all tin in hadjis or pilgrims, interpreting their
h as a pilgn and
which tli -ate from plague
md turtl ire also birds of good omen,
[id fl them live unmolested in the w ft of rnosmies.
Sparrows are Likewise respected by the Turks who usually I
their housee purposely for the birds to
build their nests. A Greek writ* a charan itorj
of a Turkish grandee, Tchelebi Effendi by name, who in ex~
treme old age was ordered by the doctors to eat nothing but
rice in broth made of sparrows. J Turk
iporaglfiu, Wwf. Ath, in Rennell R< il and I
Let. Thi* U'^inl is al*0 tnadv to account for a h<
tt these (fit, ihe wi pmm) are
i, sweetmeat* and hooey at* put oml to n|« ;*•**♦• h<-r known mi *thc
K»nfulfl,* and a smitf U rang with muoll v in wliicl.
the wedding nrra>\" In Macedonia alio,
as will be noted in duo time, sweetmeat* are mixed with the bi »eaa,
utn the wwuel b apjiarnnt either in th* act or in Ihe song* ac-
b pan vi uk it-
112 Macedonian Folklore
that one is ill spoken of. 1 So is the hiccough (Xoguyyas).
The person afflicted must try and guess who his detractor is.
The hiccough will cease as soon as he has hit on the right
person. The point of this remedy seems to be to distract one's
attention from the hiccough, when it is supposed that it will
cease. Another ingenious, though more drastic, remedy is this :
some one present suddenly says something calculated to shock
or to surprise the sufferer, such as an accusation that the latter
has been maligning hhn and the like. In this case sudden
emotion acts as an antidote. But the simplest remedy is to sip
water slowly.'
An itching in the palm of the hand foretells a money
transaction. If it is the left hand, it means that one will
receive money, if the right that he will have to pay (to Segl
Sivei, to £ep@i iralpvet). But the right and left rule is some-
times reversed. In Scotland " itching of the left hand denotes
money ; of the right, that one is soon to meet a stranger with
whom he will shake hands."* In America "if the right hand
itches, you are going to get money ; if the left, you will shake
hands with a friend." 4
An analogous superstition is held regarding the eyes. A
twitching of the right or the left eye (irai^et to fiaTi) means
that a friend or a foe will be seen, or that news good or bad
is coming. The old Greeks also derived a similar presage
from the "throbbing of the right eye." "AWerai 6<f>0aXfi6\
fiev 6 SefibV fjpd y IStjo-w airrav ; observes the love-lorn
shepherd in Theocritus, 6 and the observation seems to inspire
him with hope. 6
1 In America it means that " someone has told lies about yon." Memoirs of
the American Folk-Lore Society, vol. iv. p. 147.
8 On similar principles are based the cores practised in America: "scare
the one troubled with hiccoughs by some startling announcement or accusation,
repeat long rhymes in one breath, take nine sips of water, etc" See Memoirt of
the American Folk-Lore Society, vol. iv. pp. 98, 99.
' J. G. Campbell, Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, p. 258.
4 Memoirs of the American Folk-Lore Society, vol. iv. p. 135.
8 Id. in., 37.
6 On similar premonitions cp. W. H. D. House, • Folklore from the Southern
SporadeB,' in Folk-Lore, June, 1899, p. 181 ; G. Georgeakis et Leon Pineau, Le
Folk-Lore de Lesbos, pp. 334-5.
Divination
113
The diversity • •( the significance attached to right and left
■i different distric uds with
iich prevailed between the Greek anil the
\ in ancient times. The Greek an
•ng as be did bo the North, regarded the bird's flight on the
it is from the East, as of good omen. His Roman col-
league, facing South, considered the Might on his left auspicious,
and vice verm. It is not improbable that the modern dis-
of viewi to a collision between Hellenic and
Roman traditions.
i itching in the nose, which in Scotland indicates the
arrival of a letter, 1 and in America is explained as a sign that
t or that visitors are coming, 5 to the MaoedoniaD
rporal chastisement.
is much too serious an act to be dealt with at the
end of a
Sneering.
In Macedonia the act of sneezing is interpreted in three
different ways, and the (omnia of salutatio accordiug to
the occa-i
First ng is regarded as a confirmation of what the
has just said. In that case, he interrupts
u Health be
i has proved that) I am speaking the truth ! "
aov Kp dXijOeta \ey»).
|Q that absent enemies are
speaking ill of the sne* the fajyatanden express the
that th< ridualflj whoever they be, "may
it" (va atedcovv)}
1 J. G. Oenpb u of the Highland* and Uland* oj
saa
1 M -h* America rt StViVfy. vol, tv. p I
• 11 Ift,
in the Southern Sporade*,' in Folk- i
ine 1891), i however, atttna to l the
f the ejaculation uttered : rfp<0p*>*f W * ne»>
net "to the Daitj." It inraus one 'roaming about* with cvj) intent — a very
.h in the habit of "going to and fro in the earth and
a. r.
8
114 Macedonian Folklore
Thirdly, it is considered as an indication of health, especially
if the sneezer is just recovering from an illness. The formula
appropriate in this instance is, " Health to thee, and joy to
thee ! " (Teia aov teal x a ?°- °" oi; )» t° which some, facetiously
inclined, add by way of a crowning happiness " — and may thy
mother-in-law burst ! " (ical vk ate da ij ireOepd aov).
On the evening of Cheese Sunday, as has been noticed
already, a special significance is attributed to sneezing, or at all
events extraordinary precautions are deemed necessary, and
the sneezer must tear off a piece from the front of his shirt in
order to counteract the evil.
Among the Turks also both the belief and the salutation
are in great vogue, as is shown by the humorous tale ascribed
to Nasreddin Khodja, the famous fourteenth century wit and
sage of Persia :
" Nasreddin Khodja commanded his disciples, when he sneezed,
to salute him by clapping their bands and crying out : ' Hair
Ollah, Khodja/ that is ' Prosperity to thee, Master ! ' Now it
came to pass that on one of the days the bucket fell into the
well, and Nasreddin bade his pupils climb down and pick it
out. But they were afraid and refused to obey. So he stripped
and requested them to bind him with the rope and let him
gently down. Thus he descended, caught the bucket, and
the boys were already pulling him up, when, just as he was
drawing near the edge of the well, he chanced to sneeze.
Whereupon they, mindful of the masters behest, let go the
rope and, clapping their hands in high glee, cried out in
chorus: 'Hair Ollah, Khodja!' Nasreddin was precipitated
violently into the well, bruising himself sadly against the sides.
When he was rescued at length, he laid him down upon the
ground and groaning with pain remarked : ' Well, boys, it was
not your fault, but mine : too much honour is no good thing
for man. 1 "
of walking up and down in it. " The Greeks farther use such expressions as
'E<paye rbp (or Ira) xcpldpofio, " He has eaten a devil of a lot." Kd>et icpdo
Ttpldpopo "It is devilish cold" eta
The epithet is employed in an uncomplimentary sense by Theognis : txdalpw
W Tvroika wepldpoiw, " I hate a lewd woman," 581.
Divination
115
An eighteenth century traveller records that in Guinea,
1 when a principal personage sneezed, all present fell on their
Be* ii, clapped their hands, and wished him all
appmesa ami prosperity" 1 — a form of salutation identic
almost every particular wi me prescribed by the worthy
Khodja.
The roperetil Mnuag sneezing is based on the notion
that when sneezing an evil spirit i* expelled from the l»ody. 2
terly forgotten b\ &6 higher mom UDOOg whom
-i aa a , dimly and vaguely
[*e less civilize! nations, is plainly shown among
hial dev- h as
lies of America and other
1 bj Mr Tylnr.
The bu] i». which is alao known to the Hindus, the
the Persians and other nations is as ancient
t in the well-known
line:
1 Uie
Y opaq?, o ttot vtos €ir€irrap€ iraatv €tt€it<tiv ;
** I>ortt thou but aee tbivt luy BOO has sneezed in 000 D uf oil that
phoa, clever Athenian that he was, turned the BUpeff-
«\<»ll»nt m in iy critical time, While he
addressing the assembly of the Ten Thousand, aomebody
hearing accord paid homage
to th* phOD pi'
. while we wens discussing means of escape, an omen
frmn h;u* manifested itaelf.
rn t Aristotle/ l'« i t r«>nius Arbiter, 1
and Pliny 1 bear dence of the superstition
r"'.*ka and the Romans. Zcu oweov and 'Sal
ylor, Primitive VaUurt, vol. L )
A- Li*g, p, 14
* Xen
1 Prvbl xuviii. 7 ; vj inthol Orate* Bnwck'i e&, vol m. p. 95,
7 uvm. 5, Them references tie given in Tylor, «*M fupvu.
8—2
116 Macedonian Folklore
were the classical equivalents for the Macedonian forms of
salutation already quoted.
Through the middle ages the custom has lasted on into
modern Europe, the German salutation ' Gott hilf,' corresponding
to the English ' God bless you/ the Italian ' Felicita ' and the
various other forms of expression current among European
nations. The English story of the fiddler and his wife, where
his sneeze and her hearty 'God bless you!' brought about
the removal of the fiddle case, is conceived in exactly the
same spirit as the tale of Nasreddin Khodja. A propos of
these salutations Mr Tylor remarks, "The liugering survivals
of the quaint old formulas in modern Europe seem an un-
conscious record of the time when the explanation of sneezing
had not yet been given over to physiology, but was still in the
4 theological stage. 1 " *
Prophets and Prophecies.
Of seers of the Scottish Highland type I met with no traces
in Macedonia — the southern atmosphere is far too clear for
mysticism of that sort. Prophets however there are, and
though I was not fortunate enough to make the acquaintance
of any one of them in the flesh, I was favoured with several of
their predictions and, of course, their fulfilment. Needless to
say that prophets are popular only among the very lowest
ranks of the peasantry. Those who make any pretence to
education answer one's questions with a compassionate shrug of
the shoulders and a pantomimic tapping on the forehead, which
expresses more eloquently than any speech what they think
about the enquirer's mental condition. If they are sociably
inclined, they will even hurl at him the aphorism: "AH
prophets after Christ are asses ! " (iras Trpo^Tf)^ fiera Xpcarov
ydiSapo?).
The meaner sort, however, are not so critical, or so sceptical.
Many a farmer possesses and often thumbs a copy of the old
collection of prophecies which goes under the name of A gat h an -
gelns ('AyaOaryyeXos), a gentleman who holds in the estima-
tion of the Macedonian peasant the same high place which
* 16. p. 104.
Divination
117
three and a half centuries ago was filled by Michael
in the eyes of Westerners of rank. There is one
great difference, however, betweeu the French mystic and his
counterpart. The latter never 1<> prestige of I
ch\ mpting to prophesy whether "a black pig or a
white pig is to be served up at dinner."' Agathangelus
Lher flights. He talks of 'the blond race' (to
%a»8ov yevo<) from the North driving ' the sons of Hagar ' out
- , and generally speaking deals with the rtftg and fall
upires and with questions of high diplomacy, entirely
I ic.
At ird of several prophetic iim-ranees
attnbn tmit of the name of Mall
iand fasted, prayed and prophesied, in rfj days of the
nin» t i rv. He did not specialise in poliiicn, u will
appear from the following eJ - of hie
cmoniOB, the rich and wicked steward who uses his
ilge himself and wbo turns tin- poor from his i
uj> by a cloud and shall be carried off to the
ci« I tleman in question was actually carried off
l ie high mm peaks (the clouds) by a large band (a
cloud) of Albanians, who wrecked hie farm and rained its
mast acting an immense mnsum.
Ol hifl big booee a vineyard shall bloom, and
where hie hearth stands/' This too Has come
[J 1>S
The fb]lowj an oracle of high import, couched in
Lmgl> obscure language:
"The Agba shall nut depart, until people have l*egun to eat grass.
Then ho ahnil go, but a* pour a» the.
A more pi tie. iptioD of the Turkish hand-to-mouth
n which, like Lamb's Chinaman, sets Mir to the
in order to roast the pig, could not easily be found.
The native** of Nigrita believe that this prophecy is
to come true as the red of Makarios's sayings have doo
1 G*neci«r*ft'a Lt/e of &o*tradamu* t ]in<!it*d to the English edition of the
i, 1672, in TK< feel of Day; *ot IL p. IB.
CHAPTER IX.
SYMBOLISM.
Symbolism, as we have already seen, pervades modern
Greek life through all its branches. There is hardly a popular
festival or ceremony which does not exhibit, in a more or less
pronounced degree, this tendency to symbolic representation and
interpretation. The same spirit can be discerned in the religious
rites of the Eastern Church : every part of the sacred building
to the minutest architectural detail; every article of use or
ornament ; every vessel or vestment employed in divine service
contains a meaning, often too occult for the ordinary layman's
comprehension, but sometimes so simple as to suggest itself to
the dullest intelligence. In like manner, birth, marriage, and
funeral are all attended by observances which to the minds of
the initiated convey ideas concealed from the profane vulgar.
In many cases, however, the underlying signification is com-
pletely lost, and can only be surmised by a laborious comparison
of similar observances in countries where the meaning is still
apparent. To this category belong several rites relating to
agricultural life. Some of them are good examples of sym-
pathetic or symbolic magic based on the principle that like
produces like.
In time of drought the peasants have recourse to a curious
ceremony, which in many of its details resembles the rites
enacted in savage lands for the purpose of making rain. 1 A
poor orphan boy is adorned with ferns and flowers, and, accom-
panied by other boys of about the same age, parades the streets,
while women shower water and money upon him from the
1 On this wide-spread oustom see Mr Frazer's exhaustive discourse in The
Golden Bough, toI. i. pp. SI foil.
Symbolism 119
windows. The boys, as they march along, sing a kind of prayer
to the powers on high, beginning with the words :
Bdi, /3cU, NToi/irot/Xi,
Krj fivaCpKa, Krj yfnvLTO-fca,
Bai, /Sot, etc.
"Hail, hail, Duduld,
(Bring us) both maize and wheat,
Hail, hail, etc."
Dudute is the name given to the boy clothed in verdure.
This is the form of the ceremony prevailing at Melenik, a
Greek town surrounded by a Bulgarian-speaking rural popula-
tion, whence the Bulgarian terms used in the song. In other
districts of Macedonia, where the same custom exists, the words
are Greek. At Shatista, for instance, in the south-west, the
song generally sung on these occasions runs as follows :
Ylepirepovva irepTraret
KiJ rbv Oeb irepucaXei'
"©€ fioi/, fipige /*ui fipoxv*
Mta fipoyrj fta&iXiKJ],
"Oo"' aara^va \ tA xa>/?ao^*a,
Too^a Kovraovpa \ r afiirekta"
etc.
"Perperuna perambulates
And to God prays :
4 My God, send a rain,
A right royal rain,
That as many (as are the) ears of corn in the fields,
So many stems (may spring) on the vines,'
etc.
In this alliterative composition the name of the principal
performer (UepTrepovva) is the only Slav word, iudicating
perhaps the origin of the custom. At Eataphygi, again, the
Slav name, being unintelligible, has been corrupted into
Piperia, "Pepper-tree."
II*ir6/?*a, Twrepid SpoaoXoyid, etc.
"Piperia, dew-collecting piperia" etc. 1
1 For similar songs, collected in other parts of Greece, see Passow, Nos.
$11—313. In one of them the name is more correctly given as Ilf pre/Mi.
120 Macedonian Folklore
Both the names given above, as well as the custom which
they designate, are to be met with in many Slavonic lands. In
Servia the rite is performed in a manner that differs from the
foregoing description only in one point : the part played by the
boy among the Macedonians is there assigned to a girl who,
clad in nothing but leaves and flowers, is conducted through
the village, accompanied by other girls singing "Dodola Songs."
" The people believe that by this means there will be extorted
from the ' heavenly women ' — the clouds — the rain for which
thirsts the earth, as represented by the green-clad maiden
Dodola." 1 The same custom, with slight variations, is kept
up in Dalmatia, where the chief performer is called Prpats,
and his companions Prporushe, and in Bulgaria, where we
again find a maiden undertaking the leading rdle and called
Preperuga — the original of the second name by which the
rite is known among the Greeks. The Wallachs also have
turned the same name into Papeluga, and the custom among
them is in all essentials identical with the Slav and the Greek. 3
The ceremony, now restricted within the limits of these
countries, once prevailed in many parts of Germany, and Jacob
Grimm has tried to identify the Dodola and Purpirouna with
the Bavarian Wasservogel, and the Austrian Pfingst/conig, who,
according to him, are connected with the ancient rain-preserving
rites.*
Of the magical ceremonies for making sunshine 4 there is
no vestige in Macedonia. But a relic of some old religious
observance still survives in a sportive custom. The children at
1 Balaton, Song$ of the Russian People, pp. 227 foil.
* The Vienna correspondent of the Standard (Aug. 18, 1902) reports a ghastly
application of the principle underlying this picturesque custom from the district
of Bogatza in Bosnia : " A peasant living in a village called Hrenovicza com-
mitted suioide by hanging himself. Shortly afterwards a severe drought set in,
which threatened to destroy the crops. The peasants held a council, and,
connecting the drought with the man's suicide, resolved to open the grave and
pour water on the corpse, in order that this might bring the longed-for rain.
Their intentions were carried out, and the grave was then filled again, after
prayer had been offered. The rain, however, did not come, and the villagers
who had taken part in this curious rite have been arrested by the gendarmes."
* Balston, ubi supra.
* J. O. Frazer, The Golden Bough, vol. i. p. 115.
Symbolism 121
Melenik are in the habit of offering up a prayer to the Sun,
that he may come out and ripen the grapes :
*EXa, irdirirov "HXioi/, 1
Na at hdxjovfie kokkwcl troSrjfiaTa,
NA rc\a)T<ra<; rk KXij/uiTa!
"Come, Grandfather Sun,
That we may give thee red boots,
Wherewith thou mayest kick at the vines ! "
There is in this form of address (" Grandfather Sun ") an
unmistakable and undisguised ring of paganism, reminding one
of the mythological idea of parentage still entertained by
savages : " Yonder sun is my father ! " exclaimed the Shawnee
chief, proudly pointing to the luminary, and the boast was
more than an empty rhetorical figure to him. 9
With the promised gift of "red boots " may be compared
similar offers in Russian folk-tales. The eider brothers on
going away tell Em i Han the fool : " Obey our wives... and we'll
buy you red boots, and a red caftan, and a red shirt." When
the king sends for him, the messengers say : " Go to the king.
He will give you red boots, and a red caftan, and a red shirt."*
Again, when it snows for the first time in the year, the
boys hail the event with some rhymes which sound like un-
mitigated nonsense, though they may, and most likely do,
contain allusions impossible to verify at this time of day. The
following is a fragment from Melenik :
To fidp fiap o amrpi&i,
'H ydra fiayeipevei,
r O irovTitcas xppevei, etc.
"It snows, it snows,
And white the flagstone grows,
Now cooks the cat,
And romps the rat, etc"
1 Cp. the custom of children in classical times to address the sun "E^C* ,
£ +tX jfXie, 4 Come out, dear Sun,' " when the god was overrun by a cloud/'
Pollux iz. 123.
* Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. l p. 827.
1 Balston, /button Folk-TaUt, pp. 268—6.
122 Macedonian Folklore
To return to the subject of symbolism. When the farmers
have finished digging in the fields, they throw their spades
up into the air and, catching them again, exclaim : " May the
crop grow as high, as the spade has gone!" 1
The first fruit of a tree must not be eaten by a barren
woman, but by one who has many children. The sympathetic
influence of the woman's fecundity is too obvious to need
explanation. An analogous belief prevails among the Bavarian
and Austrian peasants, " who think that if you give the first
fruit of a tree to a woman with child to eat, the tree will bring
forth abundantly next year." *
When a mother has done plaiting her daughter's braids
she swings them thrice upwards saying:
Wdvov to KOpira-t, kcltov t2l fiaWid:*
"May the maid grow up, and her hair long below."
On a child's name-day, which in the East is observed with
as much ceremony as the birthday is in the West of Europe,
it is the custom to pull the child's ear slightly upwards, wishing
that the child " may live and grow tall " {va rpaviyfry). Some
peasants entertain the ungallant notion that girls need no such
inducement to grow : " The Devil himself makes them grow by
pulling them up by the nose, sir," an old farmer at Provista
assured me.
A jug of water is emptied upon the ground after a departing
guest, that he may speed well on his journey, " As the water's
course is smooth and easy so may the traveller's path be"
(o7T&)9 irdei to v€pb y\qy opa era va Tray /eg 6 adpwrrosi).
1 This is undoubtedly a survival of what some authorities call imitative
magic. For parallels— some of them extremely close — to this custom, see
J. G. Frazer, The Golden Bough, vol. i. pp. 36—37.
» lb. p. 38.
* A. A. Vovalov, *'H *ard rb Udyyaiop Xci/w,' p. 76.
CHAPTER X.
BIRTH.
Tei rites and ohser varices which pfl '»pany
afcry into the world afihrd much that
is ot When tin' Mrst syn if his
app roac 1 1 have man 1 fes t ed 1 1
: i«t from the neighbours. Otherwise it is feared
the confinement will b< d by much suffering, due
to the evil influen> *< of ill-wishers in t«> (he ■ vi! . r the
satn» the midwife is summoned in i ud under
a fill*!- pretence. Dm rail the m h die patient
drinks i- vith a plant locally j M 'The Holy
Band ' (t§* IXaiwyMW to X*P 1 ^ tmi * * 8, some sprigs of
blown into the jug,
This is apparently DM of the many plants endowed by
popular superstition with magic virtues against ill. Bocfa
tfl and lurks have been known in all lands and at all
'lid's history, 1 PerhafM (he
thvm ;ur those in use among th< lOoh as the Mothan,
or trailing pearlwort, and the Achlasan Challuruchille, or St
Johns wort. The former pi possessor against fiie
and the attacks of fairies; the iattev warded off U^rr^* The
Macedonian equivalent b la powerful safeg
against both dangers.
A> born, the servants >.r the boys of the
famil D round to the houses of relatives and friends to
1 8re A. Lttig*! twm»v on * Holy ami Mandrngor*,' in Custom and Myth,
pp. t
1 J. G. Campbell, Superttitton* of the Highland* and hlandt of Scotland,
p. 49; Mtmunr* of the American Folk* t a** Society, vol. m. pp, 100 I
124 Macedonian Folklore
announce the glad event and receive' The reward of congratu-
lation* (ja axapijKia). 1 The midwife then proceeds to hang
a clove of garlic and a gold ring or a gold coin on the mother's
hair, — ornaments which she wears till her purification, — as well
as on the new-born baby, in order to avert the evil eye.
A skein of red yarn (ypifia) is also attached to the bedroom
door, as a symbol that the evil is " bound," that is rendered
helpless. This operation is described at Melenik as "binding the
Armenos" (Bepovp ttjp "Ap/Mcpap), a word of obscure meaning, but
evidently used in a personal sense, though who this lady is the
people, so far as I could discover, have not the faintest idea.
" We do this that the patient may not sutler from the Armenos "
(ytA va yjqp apfiepiaadfj rj Xeypvaa). This was their answer to
my queries. An identical practice with similar intent prevailed
once in the Highlands of Scotland. 8
On the same day comes the priest, and with the stole round
his neck reads a special prayer over a bowl of water (Siafid&t
to pepo), with which the patient is sprinkled every evening
during her confinement.
The members of the family in which there is a woman in
child-bed make a point of retiring home before nightfall, or else
they are fumigated. Contrariwise, no visitor is allowed to
remain in the house after dark. If he is obliged to do so, he
throws upon the mother and the infant a shred of his raiment,
wishing them a peaceful night.*
During a whole fortnight the patient is never for a single
moment left alone, but day and night is watched either by the
midwife or by some friends, lest she should ap/iepiao-drj, and no
light besides the one in the room is allowed to be brought in.
In the same way among the Celts "the first care was not to
leave a woman alone during her confinement. A houseful of
women gathered and watched for three days, in some places
for eight." 4
All these precautions appear to have one object in view,
1 Cp. the word euptrJKia, rci, " the reward for a thing found."
1 J. G. Campbell, ubi supra, p. 37.
* A. A. ToixrLov, *'H tcara rb Ildyycuor Xuyxx,' p. 75.
4 J. G. Campbell, ubi supra, p. 36.
Birth
namely, to prevent the Nereids (Neprfft&s) i trying pff the
r, or hnrtiqg its mother; In I
north. Like the latter tl I either of abduc
bom children Of subi their own offspring in their
i ' The similarity of attlibo king
as it can hardly be aooonnted t«a by tl wing th
plain it u being the reeult of Independent
growth.
The same bend d child-abduction "aeei me
it to have been attributed to the Nymphs in old times, for
in many epitaphs on children that died at an ef they are
en of as having been carried off by Nymphs." 1 Eesychius
also describes I\\\w as a female demon, said by 1 1 n to
in the habit oi" earning offnew*boTQ babes.'**
For forty days friend) and relatives bring to the woman
aXaytciTats) and s ^» During
three nights a small table covered with a cloth is
I under the lamp which burns in front of the icon of the
j dii Upon this table is laid breed, salt., and pieces of
the third day a maid whose parents are both
alive maksfl B honey cake, which in the evening apon
niall table close to the bal- L Upon the tabl
i mirror; and some gold or silver piec
k are laid Upon it or under the baby's pillow. 1
Qded for the Pates (Mapot?) who are exp
me during the night and bestow on the infant its d«
mputvovi' or fiotpu(ovr). Tl cake is meant to
propitiatr or conciliate the Qoddesees^ while the mirror stands
as n of beauty, and the money end
wealth. F«n the Ban a a Ugh; 1 Miming all night
aable the I End theu In the
shares wii end relatives the
1 Cp. Psshley, Vrtu, n. p. fit, in Toner, / n the JiighUruU of
II. jr. 914.
■ PfctUer, QritekimK I note, in Tozer, ubi n
1 The nsmt' of this demon ha* bevu derived by some from lit* vitIi ft\*
analog wuh ih«* Teutonic Frmu Hoida.
126 Macedonian Folklore
cake, which is eaten on the spot, not allowing one crumb to
get out of the room, lest it should fall into the hands of
enemies who could work a spell upon it. Similarly "the
German peasant, during the days between his child's birth and
baptism, objects to lend anything out of the house, lest witch-
craft should be worked through it on the yet unchristened
baby," 1 — an idea of which we find many illustrations in
Macedonia.
The Three Fates.
The belief in the Fates and their visit is one of the most
deeply-rooted and most widely-spread superstitions that have
survived from ancient times. As in antiquity so at this day
the Moirais are represented as three in number. Their indi-
vidual names have been forgotten, but they are still described
as carrying a spindle and yarn wherewith is spun the infant's
destiny. This idea is graphically set forth in the following
popular distich:
'H Molpa irov <re fioipave ahpayr efy d<rr)fi€vio,
Kal vrjfui curb pakafia teal fioipave teal aiva.
"The Fate who fated thee carried a silver spindle
And thread of gold, wherewith she fated thee."
People remarkable for their luck (icaXonoipo*;) are believed
to have received the Fate's benediction from her right hand :
C H Molpd fiov lie /3d<f>Ti<T€ fik to 8e£t rrjs X*P l >
"My Fate has blessed me with her right hand,"
says a folk song.
The reverse (/catcofMoipo?) is expressed by the following :
f H Molpd flOV fi€ /3d<f>Tl(T€ fJL€ TO &Pft*> TI79 X*P L >
"My Fate has blessed me with her left hand."
It is interesting that in these phrases the blessing of the
Fates should be described as "baptism." We probably have
here a popular confusion between Christian and Pagan belief
and practice, instances of which abound at every turn.
1 Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. z. p. 116.
The following complaint, which I heard at Melenik, give*
utterance to the same superstition
Ipn fiov Kavpivrfr
Kavpei'-q Motpa!
Ae' p€ poipavts tcaXd,
Hav rov tcoap,ov t« irai&ia!
M Wretched Fate mine,
1 Fate !
Thou didfft not fate Die well,
'H. ute mc
other xneu'o children,' 1
Su re plentiful botlk to vene and in pp
A populfl be poor here
- Fate too*' COvov 6 <£t6>^os k r; Mo*pa toi/)— so true it
is that popular sayings, in some cases at all events are "chips
of mythology
The belief in tl be
in to baTQ borrowed it frotn th»
At any rat » the name gi be goddesMi by them (Mire)
b thoroughly Greek. The Albanians better in the Fates
under the name <>f Fati t which us derived directly from the
Italian. Halm, however, in an Albanian tale introduces tl
by the Greek deaignal
The Fatrs of I ka, and oo&ftequenfcly their
modern rapraeanl have been indentified with the
Scandinavian Norm win rdhr t Vtrdha
aud 8kuU — Wai Shell-be. This division of timr
pOQdl with tl be three
Lad , r s the past, KIo: ieo$ a
and Atropos the fatal
e ful lowing tales ilk ity of escaping
1 For tl'- -ov* ana the hirth <5«*rtroonto« obttrred in t»t
pajrUofSm- iDuUhrn,!. k§m
lUiuii'lt Rodd, The Custom* and Lort of Moderr < tv.; O. OcorjjeakU
:i Fiocau. 1 Lethot, p. 380.
108.
• TWor, /'rimic i53 Mid atilhoriti«i referred to thaw.
128 Macedonian Folklore
from the decrees of the Fates — the stern, inexorable daughters
of dread Necessity.
/. The Youth and the Fates.
(From Sochos.)
A youth once, while travelling, stopped at a peasant's
cottage to spend the night. He was received hospitably and
laid himself down to sleep in a corner of the common bed-room,
in which his host and hostess also slept. The woman had had a
female child two days before. As the youth lay on his mattress
awake, he perceived Fate, Fortune, and Death (Molpa, Tvxv>
Xdpo?) stalk into the room in order to allot to the baby her
portion in life. They glanced at the stranger and then walked
out. The youth heard them holding a consultation amongst
themselves outside the door. At last Fate raised her eyes to
the bright star-lit sky and said : " The little maid shall become
the strange youth's wife."
Our traveller was not at all pleased with this off-hand
way of disposing of him. For he was an ambitious youth,
and the prospect of marrying a poor peasants daughter
accorded ill with his views. So, in order to avoid the fulfilment
of the Fatal decree, he got up softly, stole to the baby's cradle
and taking her in his arms crept out of the cottage. On the way
he threw her into a thorny hedge (iraXov/cdSa) and pursued his
journey, fondly confident that he had baffled Fate.
But next morning the peasant and his wife went in quest
of their offspring. They found and rescued her unscathed, save
for a scratch across the breast, the mark of which remained.
Years went by, and the stranger, now grown into a
prosperous man, chanced to journey that way again. Having
long forgotten the episode, he put up at an inn opposite the
peasant's cottage. A fair damsel appeared at the window, and
he was so smitten by her beauty that he forthwith stepped
across the road and asked her in marriage from her parents.
It was only after the wedding that the sight of the scar led
to the discovery that she was the infant he had sought to
destroy.
Birth
V>»
In this tale Fate figures in the company of Fortune and
Death, With the farmer the it very often confused. But
1v\v is also sometimes conceived of as a personal d
Turkish Bakht — a
kind of guardian angel or spirit.
a.)
h. re was a very wealthy man. He had
had
I of all that is good in the world; in his b
the cocks laid eggs, as the saying goes. But, in spite of
all thi*- w Till tli, 1 1 r niser, and mean as a Tziii
This man chanced tu visit a big en ;donica; but he
refrained from potting up at an DU iborcld -pend
none; some great man's palace, lest he
should incur an obligation* Eta he -tapped at a poor Dan's
iga Th. was only one big room ami the hall, and
put him up in ■ OOfnet "t the his servant rein;i
in the yard with the bane* Now, the poor man's wife had
en delivers! of a buy which was three days old when this
lth v man arrived
down to sleep in tit
io one 001*n*r of the room and the woman in child-bed with her
11 the other. 1 ind slept
Ctna The n nan, however,
-eize on him, but he turned now on thin side,
Ii* other, thinking md calculating his wealth. While
4 ■ suddftD he sees the door thrown open,
and in came throe r lid in while. One of then was
taller and more beautiful than the others. They were the
Be Fates, who allot tl, the third day
birth.
, as we said be" sd the room and stood
me lay Bleeping greatest of the Fates
touched him with her finger and said :
C the oriteiiml tfrtek tee Appen*'
A. P. I
130 Macedonian Folklore
" What kind of destiny shall we allot him ? "
Answered the others :
" Let us make him be the heir to the wealthy man who is
lying in yon corner."
" Agreed," said the others.
Thus they decreed and vanished.
The wealthy man heard these words and was afraid, and
could not close an eye from fear. He rose and began to stroll
up and down in the room till daybreak. When God brought
the day, and the poor man rose from bed, then the stranger said
to him :
"I am going home to-day. Children of my own I have
none. If you will give me your baby, my wife and I will bring
it up just as if it were our own flesh and blood. You are young
and, please God, you may have more."
Thereupon the poor man called to his wife to see what she
had to say, and she at first would not consent, for where is the
mother who will part with her child ? but at length, lest they
should spoil the child's chance, she answered, " Very well," and
consented to give it away, although she loved it as a mother
should. She suckled it well till it had enough milk, then
she dressed it in the best clothes she had and kissed it cross-
wise on the forehead. So the wealthy man took the child,
saddled his horse, was bidden "God speed" and went away
with his servant.
When they got outside the city and reached a desert place
in the midst of the standing corn — it was summer — he reined
in his mare and said to the servant :
" Take this babe and slay it with a stone."
The servant at first would not do it, for he was a God-fearing
man ; but finally, will he nill he, he obeyed his master and took
up the baby. However, instead of striking the child he struck
the earth with the stone, and his master thought that he had
struck the child. Then he suddenly made as though he saw
someone from afar, ran to his horse, pretending to be frightened,
and made off as speedily as he could. And so the little one
remained sleeping among the ears of corn.
Let us now leave the wealthy man and take up the child.
Birth
131
SQ fields belonged to a rich farmer who had no children of
his own, and both his wife ami he ever prayed to God that He
might give them one. They also wished to adopt a child in
the hope that God might take pity on thern. Oq that evening
this rich man happened to be strolling in the Melds and h
the child crying. He stopped short and said to himself;
" What can this be ? it is not a jackal, nor is it a dog. Let
me go and m
He walked towards the voice and by and by found the little
one, and he wondered. And seeing the child BO pretty and
and plump, he t<n>k a fancy to it and lifted it up in his
and carried it to his wife.
"See what I have found in the fields, info," .said he. ,J Wl
unshed for a child and behold ! a child God has sent D
His wife would not believe him.
" Fie upon thee, who knows who is tin- child's mother? But,
let n be. I do not mind. Let us keep it. 11
They kept it and engaged a nui tokk it, and mbn it
grew up the] Bent it to school. And the bo\, being of a kindly
nature, made progress and was very \n\A ,»f them, and tb
theii ii'l "t him, end they called him Naidis, which
is, as we might say t Found In
w to corne to the wealthy man. Time went by,
Naidis b« xteen or vears old* Then, one day
lo and behold! that wealthy man, who hid tried to
destroy Naidis, chanced t> up in the very house
where he lived, and he heard tlie people 0*11 tin udis.
and he was surprised at the name. He a*ks his hostess:
" Tell me, madam, wherefore do you call him B
' W iiim thai to tell the truth, he is not
•wn son. My husband found him *
in the fields amidst the standing crop We had m n, so
we brought him up and love him as our I he loves us
d."
Th y man on hearing this was grieved at heart.
understood tba the child which he had ordered Ul
ervant to kit , what w do < He thinks it over
and over again. At length an idea occurred to him. He turned
0— 2
132 Macedonian Folklore
and said that he had a letter to send home and that he wanted
a trusty man to carry it
" Why, we will send Naidis," they answered. They prepared
a cake and other food for Naidis, and he saddled his horse in
order to go. The wealthy man gave him a letter for his wife, in
which he told her to send the bearer op to the mountain
pastures where his flocks were grazing, and to bid the shepherds
cut him in pieces and fling him into a well
Naidis took the letter without any suspicion, mounted his
horse, and set out. But before he set out his mother advised
him to take care and not drink water when tired; then she
kissed him and bade him Good-bye.
In the way which he was going he reached a fountain under
a tree, and he alighted in order to rest awhile and then drink,
according to his mother's advice ; for he was very thirsty. As
he was sitting there under the shadow of the tree, an old man
with a long white beard passed by and said to the boy :
" Whither, in good time, my son ? "
"A good time to thee, 1 grandfather, I am going to Such-
and-such a place with a letter for So-and-so/ 1
"Give me that letter that I may see it; for methinks I know
the man."
The boy gave him the letter, and the old man passed his
hand over it, and then returned it and went his way.
To cut a long tale short, Naidis arrived at the wealthy man's
house towards evening. As he was dismounting he looked up
and saw a maid fair as the moon standing at the window. In
the twinkling of an eye he became enamoured of her. She
was the wealthy mans daughter ; for he had lied when he said
that he had no children : he had a daughter and a son.
1 "Opo KaMj ! This is the usual salutation of travellers meeting on the road.
Sometimes it is amplified into rhyme :
"Opo caXi} ffov, fiana fiov,
Ktf dyipat 't rd rtund cov %
Ki; fra rovXt rtrodfuwo
NA pip pp€&y firpoerd <rov\
" A good time to thee, my eyes. May thy sails be filled with wind, and may
not one bird impede thy course." This wish is specially meant for sailors, bat
it is also humorously offered to sportsmen.
Birth
138
NaXdis went into the house, and the wealthy man's
received him becomingly, " Welcome," ■ Well met."
livered to her the letter, and she read it, and there was written
in it :
"Take this youth and our daughter, summon a priest and
wed them straightway. I am coming home eight days hence,
and I must find the thing done.'
Having read the letter, the wife did as her husband bi
her. She called in a priest and without delay had them wedded,
celebrated their wedding with much jollity and music till
daybreak.
Eight days after the wealthy man returned, and, as h.
red at the gate, he lifted up his eyes and what does he see
but his own daughter standing by the side of Nai'dis at the
■ny. Then he was seized with giddiness — like a fit of
apoplexy — and fell down upon the ground. They ran and sum-
moned the doctors, and after a deal of trouble they managed to
bring him t >
*' What is amiss with thee t* asks his wife,
"Oh nothing. I was wearied of the journey, and the RtO
Struck me on the head," he answered " But why hast thou
one as I bade thee in my letter 1 m
" I certainly have. Here is thy letter* Look and see what
thou wrotest."
lie takes the letter and reads it. He thought that he waa
earning. He rubbed his eyes again and again, but could
make our hud all happened; for it was his own wn
Thru be m}
• tv vrd morrow thou must call
a at dawn and lend him op to the flocks with a l<
which 1 will give tii
I be mi k u bef
Next morning,
when she entered into the room and saw him
ng sweetly in her daughters arms, she waa sorry to wake
him. and let him sleep on for another hour. Instead, she went
r own son and m
14 Art thou asleep, my boy t "
134 Macedonian Folklore
11 No, mother."
"Get up, mount thy horse and take this letter to the
shepherds who tend the flocks."
The boy got up, mounted his horse, took the letter and
set out.
After a while her husband also got up and asked her :
"Hast thou sent him?"
"I was loth to wake Naidis," she answered, "but be easy
in thy mind, my husband, thy letter I despatched safely by our
own son."
" What hast thou done, O woman ! " he cried, and in the
twinkling of an eye he runs out like one possessed to overtake
his son.
His wife thought that he was again taken ill as the day
before and ran after him. When he reached the uplands he
found that the shepherds had slain his son and thrown him
into a well. Driven by grief and remorse he flings himself into
the well and perishes. His wife on seeing her husband fall
into the well, lost her senses and threw herself into it, too, and
died. So Naidis remained heir. — This is not a fairy tale. It
is a fact and shows that his Fate no one can escape. 1
Christening.
Eight or ten days after birth — generally on a Sunday — takes
place the baptism (ra /3a<f>Ticrui). The kinsfolk (to avyyevoXoyi),
having gathered together in the parents' house, are there joined
1 A very close parallel to this story is found in Albanian, see "L'enfant
vendu on la Destinee," No. 18 in Contes AlbanaU, par Auguste Dozon, Paris,
1881.
Hahn (Orieehuehe und Albanesisehe M&rchen, Mo. 20) gives a story em-
bodying the same idea, only much shorter, and refers for a parallel to Grimm,
Mo. 29.
Classical literature supplies several anecdotes pointing the moral of the force
of destiny, all too familiar to be even mentioned here. The remark with which
my informant concluded her narrative: "ie/xrei rwt rf} ftoTpd tov K&vtpas 51'
/trope? ra tij frjriyv " is almost a literal modern reproduction of what Homer
said three thousand years ago :
fxoipa^ 8* oCfrwd tprjfu T«pvyfUrov ifipcrcu &*8pQr,
IU vi. 488.
Birth
135
by the sponsor, 1 followed by the invited guests* The sponsors
office h ii" sinecure among the peasants of Macedonia. The
<t paid to him by his godchildren u even greater than
that accorded to their own parents, and his malediction is
dreaded even more than that of a Bishop. The office is
ry, and the sponsor or his heir is also expected to
best man at hie godchild's marriage. It it* only on
- that a new godfather is invited to pari
if the new-born child ia I
suddenly ill, and the family sponsor happens to live a long way
off, ->r to be away on a journey, then a friend or relative takes
hifl place. The infringement of the rule is then justified h\
urgency of the case and the fear lest the child should die
unchristened — a fear before which considerations of etiquette
ve way. But should the child survive, the regular
irds asked to a banquet and is requested to
it his blessing. Ih ifl likewise expected to waive his
right, if he p be tbi mlucky hand/ as
has been mentioned befon * hi ottSQ be does not do so, the
child s parents are entitle 1 nominate a
lbatitute. So great is the veneration paid to the spiritual
i father and his godchildren that a match
between a lad and a lass who both have the lame godfather <»r
godmother is regarded as incest — thej being brother and b
Nor is intermarriage allowed h he godchild'^
and the godparents families, as they are consid i thin
tli- prohibited degrees of kinship. The sponsor and the child's
father m ttevoi) and their mutual
relationship is that of spiritual brotherhood. 1 These observa-
tions will enable the reader to appreciate the sponsors po-
in tii that foil.
The party assembled, a procession is formed, and they all
1 KaX^raraf , nt Melenik ; elsewhere tovpripoi or w*6t It ft womin, ll
iU»*h noted *.iV^<iw» ftt Molenik ; elsewhere toi/^wap* or roura.
1 Supra, p. 85.
1 The mtm mend rekiionthjp it implied in oar old word gonip [G
« rtuu 1 m ih# urtici of God f ], a word which experienced many viefaHritodo* «re
it mnk to iu piuMiit low position.
136 Macedonian Folklore
repair to the church. The cortfege is headed by the midwife,
who carries the baby decked out in all possible finery and
veiled with a thin gauze (atcim)). At the church-door the
sponsor relieves the midwife of her burden, and they all march
up the nave to the font. 1 After a preliminary prayer the priest
asks the sponsor for the name, which is expected by the
bystanders with breathless eagerness. When it is announced,
some boys hurry off to the baby's home to inform the parents.
They are received on the threshold by the father, who, on
hearing it, throws to the messengers sugar-plums to scramble
for. The name given frequently, though not invariably, is that
of one of the grandparents. Sometimes it belongs to some
other relative, or to the Saint on whose day the baptism takes
place. But in all cases the sponsors are entitled to give any
name they please, and from tfyeir decision there is no appeal.
Hence the anxiety displayed by all parties concerned until the
name is announced.
The ceremony over, the sponsors distribute among the
children present, and the bystanders generally, dry figs, coins,
or, in the more highly civilized districts, cheap medals tied
with a ribbon, as tokens that they have "witnessed 1 ' the
ceremony. For this reason these tokens are called fiaprvpid.
From the church the party, with the priest at the head, return
to the house, and offer to the parents their congratulations and
wishes for the child's prosperity {ya ow f^cr^, va irpo/coyfrij,
etc.) The sponsor, who carries the baby home, hands it over to
the mother with these words :
" I deliver it unto thee in this life ; but I shall ask it back
from thee in the next. Guard it well from fire, water, and all
evil!"
A banquet is then spread. The midwife, who throughout
plays the part of Mistress of the Ceremonies, takes up a great
circular cake (/coXovpa), prepared for the nonce. This cake is
smeared with honey and covered with sesame and almonds.
She places some walnuts upon it, and setting it on her head,
walks slowly round and round the table, crying ihoohoo!
1 The font in the Greek churches is a movable copper vessel.
Birth
137
fltftei mil all the walnuts have dropped off one by one
and are picked up by the boys. Then the cake is laid on the
table, cut, and eaten. 1
Pu/rifioai
On the fortieth day after the baby s birth the mother,
escorted by the midwife, who carries the baby in her b
betakes herself to church that she ina\ iest's
i ng and be purified by special prayers (yta vd aapavri<jfi\
Q that day, and nut until then, she is at liberty to ftti
06 service.* On their way home they call upon the sponsor
and the nearest relatives. The mistress of each house take
e gg. sugar, or a sweet cake and, passing it over the child's face,
pon it the following benediction:
u May est thou live, my little one. Mayest thou grow old,
with ho.ii > bait and eyebrow*. With (if a male) a hoary beard
and moustache.' 1 (N*i £^0fft fittcpo fiov t va y€pa<ry$ 1 vn yevn$
/*' aairpa paXkta teal <f>pv8ta f fi aairpa yivcta tcai fiavtrraKtaJ)
having put a lump of sugar h the
other gifts to the mother.
is observances connected with >th.
If a vv.hian in an interesting ennditiou suffers from an
inardinafc Dg for some particular, and unobtainable, kind
friends go oat begging bread and tf ;ibles
houses and make the sufferer partake of
m is supposed to cure b
When a mother toaea ehild after child (oY arpeytt wat&w\
the | r to pursue is to take her last-bom
and ' r. A friend, by previous arrange) qi
child and clothes it. A few days after sh-
the in- i tor three years it is clothed m strange
1 For a beautiful sketch of the christening ceremony Among the peasAntry of
ThAAAAlv, neArly id.mucaJ with the Above description, «ee X* Xpwrra^Afr&ii, Td
B*0- rH^ ara 8«tf*aXureV Athene, 1900, pp. 3i» foil.
Suffolk M A mother DB oatsidc her own honie>door till the goes
%o be * churched V • Boperttitioni About new-born children' in The Httok qf
vol, u p. 8tf.
138 Macedonian Folklore
clothes, that is, clothes begged of relatives and friends. Some-
times, in addition to this ceremony, the child's right ear is
adorned with a silver ring which must be worn through life.
At Liakkovikia the precautions are more elaborate still.
The family sponsor being dismissed, the midwife takes the
new-born infant and casts it outside the house-door. The first
person who happens to pass by is obliged to act as sponsor. If,
even after this measure, the children persist in dying, the
mother is delivered of her next in a strange house, surrounded
by all her kinswomen. As soon as the infant is born, the
midwife puts it in a large handkerchief and carries it round the
room, crying " A child for sale ! " (iraiSl irou\&). One of the
women present buys it for a few silver pieces and returns it to
the mother. Then forty women, who have been married only
once (irpmTotrrii^avot), contribute a silver coin apiece, and out
of these coins a hoop is made through which the child is passed.
Afterwards this silver hoop is turned into some other ornament,
which the child must always wear. 1
These queer customs agree with the practice once prevalent
in Scotland. "If the children of a family were dying in
infancy, one after the other, it was thought that, by changing
the name, the evil would be counteracted. The new name
was called a 'road name/ being that of the first person en-
countered on the road when going with the child to be
baptized." 8 The custom is explained by Mr Campbell on the
principle of the " luck " of the person met. But by comparing
it with the Macedonian practice, it is possible to arrive
at a different interpretation. The strangers name, like the
strange clothes, may well ba intended to serve as a disguise
calculated to deceive the beings, fairies, witches, or what not,
to whose malevolent agency the evil is attributed. With regard
to the name, it should be added that in Macedonia, as elsewhere,
people avoid giving to a child the name of a brother or sister
recently dead. So much is there in a name — when witches
and fairies are about.
1 A. A. Yowrlov, *'H jcard rb Uiyyaxop Xu>po,' p. 75.
9 J. G. Campbell, Superstition* of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland,
p. 245.
Birth
139
Another superstition connected with birth is the following:
women in a state of pregnancy do i or spin on the
OB (Feb. 3, o,s/h lest the child should be
with a mark (crt/^aSta/to). This BO] D its pr>
form at all events, is due to a fanciful analogy between the
saint's m< lmwv) and the Greek for a "mark" (trrjuadi),
and I to a class of noti< I on nothing more serious
than mistaken etymology.
A woman whose first child has died is not allowed to fallow
land so in Macedonia a child bom with a canl
(r<riwa) is considered fortunate. Pieces of the caul aj
up and worn by the father and the child round their necks. 1
The Evil I
uperstitien del} held than the belief in
harmful influence of the bumf It iscommou among
the Hindoos, th- Turks, and the
i a We riml mgal tln> low
specially in A ia — and we are alsi» told that one
of the crimes of which the QitaBM in that QOUntl
nonly accused, and for which they suffered in olden times,
that of casting the evil r, as they in t heir own
dial dialect phrase it, "making nasula).*
land those who know th ne aware
in this day the belief amongst the rural population is
not dead, but only dormant Fee* of ridicule generally com
Engtifth farmer to J his deep-rooted oonrietion, but
ther* -••ucealmetit i- no longer possible, and
then the lat* i i it ion is revealed in all its ughuesa*
1 Cp. G. GKtrgeafcis vt Leon Pineaa. Le Folk~I<ore *U J>e6o# t p. 881 ; J
Fnu« 'tough, to!, I. pp. 53 foil.
ft Borrow, n
1 The revtdju occasioned and ftooomptnied by
c£roam»tanc«* Ikr from \*\u will be *#<en from the following report of a
cam hfftrd before the magistrate* at Oxbridge In January, 1900,
"A man and hit wife were charged by the National Society for the Prevention
: ::* popularity.
• :\»:-!irst traditions
The Greeks and
... • .untly originated —
•. -. -.eral allusions in the
• :'w tear of the evil eye
«;Te identical with those
. r. indeed, is silent on the
* . ;»*iss of magic, purification,
: :v»^:iivs of dateless antiquity.
. ■. Homer for some reason or
...::hors of the other epics, known
n . . ;v Ct/pria and the rest.
„ v v:::«m in force and extent is second
;\::ur*. but also dumb creatures and
..•Mo to be blighted by the evil eye
v , > to bo dreaded most when its object
* Nourishing condition : a very healthy
.v. .i. a spirited horse, a blooming garden,
:.:v .»'i >ubjoct to its influence. Nor is the
,.; eve always an act of wilful wickedness.
wr.: and well-meant expression of admiration
v% ... :ho undesirod effect. For this reason people
v a\oid such expressions, or. when uttered, to
horn.
•ho oldest and most prevalent methods for avoiding
•., * Children with causing the death of two of their children by wilful
° * ' '* rin* unhappy mites had died amid the filthiest of surroundings, and
?* ' vviiu-r* and sisters who still survived were described as bein^ r in a
,! ..,• »vndition. To this most serious charge the prisoners merely replied
***' ih"% had hail the misfortune some time ago to incur the wrath of a gyp»y,
' » u ,^ ^nJ theirs had consequently been 'overlooked.' Since then nothing
* ild pH**l H ' r w,tn tnem t am * * l * as through the operation of the curse, and
f^ r lack of proper nutriment, that the children had grown emaciated, and
hud finally died." The Morning Po*t, Jan. 10, 1000.
i Piof. Gilbert Murray [Hhtury of Ancient dreek Literature, p. 47) thinks
that this silence has arisen "from some conventional repugnance, whether of
Uie,^ or class, or tradition." In any case, we need not assume that Homer
deliberately set himself the task of drawing a complete picture of contemporary
t.Jreek life for the benefit of posterity.
Birth
141
the effects of excessive admiration is that of spitting at the
object which has evoked it. The shepherd m Theocritus,
following of a wise old woman, spits thrice into
his own lap in • himself from the oonseqneno
self-admiration. 1 The proud city beauty does the same thing
in order to shun the danger from the eye of the rustie adfl
whom she scorns.*
The Romans entertained B similar notion cono rhe
evil eve and its cure.*
This is still the orthodox remedy for the evil eve among
the Greeks of Macedonia and elsewhere. For lm! t one
is moved to admiration at the sight of a pretty child, he ha-
to avert the danger by spitting thrice in its face, and ac-
companies: the action with words almost identical with \i
employed by the ancient, writers referred tu above — Nri a*
<f>Tvaa) va fii) fia<r/ca&7)$ !
Also persons seised by a sudden fright spit thrice into their
laps, just tis Ufa shepherd and the maid of Theocritus did.
4>riW *c rev tcop<f>o <rov ! is a common expression often
ironically towards those who seem to think too much of their
Many and various are the safeguards recomn md
against the evil eye. But the commonest — perhaps
because the cheapest — of all is garlic. A clovt: of that
malodorous plant is stitched to the cap of the new-born infant,
anil a whole string of it is hung outside the newly-built house,
or from the brunches of a tree laden with fruit. The formula
* garlic before your eves! " (atcopha \ ra \iarta croi/) is also
nonly used by the child's mother or uurse to the p«
.';//. xl 39.
1 lb. Incert, EL 11.
• Sec Pliny: veniam a dm petimtu tpttmdo in tinum—ixnn. 4, 7; Tibnllos:
i#, Eleg. t. li. Sli; Juvenal
*tmu, Sal. vn. 112, On it* effect uti «hetp, q», V nerot oculut
tteimti aano§, Bnool. Ed. m. 103. On tit general power, Horaci
! Uqua ocuta mm rtmm&da quUyuam Ltmaf Epist, L xiv. 37.
• For rtamplen of Ihe vast number Of evil* that can be nvrrted by meant of
j Mtmoirt of tht American Folk- Lor vol, vu. pp. 16—19.
142 Macedonian Folklore
who ventures to fix his glance upon their charge without
resorting to the traditional antidotes. 1
Other articles employed for the safety of babies are a small
cross, especially one made of rhinoceros* horn (fiovotcepo), an old
gold coin with the effigy of the Emperor Constantine upon it
(KwoTavTivdro), and a cock's spur (tcevrpl rod wereivov). All
these heterogeneous amulets are attached to the front of the
baby's cap. But even then the child is not considered quite
beyond the reach of witchery. Further precaution is taken in
the form of a silver phylactery (<£uXa%To), containing cotton
wool kept from the inauguration ceremony of a new church
and, when possible, bits of the true cross, or, as it is termed,
" the precious wood " (to rifjuo f uXo). This phylactery is
slung under the child's arm.
With these preservatives resorted to by the mothers of
Macedonia may be compared those employed elsewhere. The
rhinoceros' horn, for example, reminds one of the stag's horn
which in Spain is considered an excellent safeguard. 2 The
phylacteries also bear a strong resemblance to the devices
employed by the Jews and Moors of Barbary. 8 The Jews of
Turkey likewise carry about them bits of paper with " David's
shield " (magendavid) drawn upon them. This is the Hexagram
xfe regarded by them as a symbol of the Almighty and known
to astrologers as the Macrocosm, while the Pentagram ^£ is
the mystic sign of man, or the Microcosm. The first of these
figures is further embroidered on clothes and engraven on
door-posts as a talisman against evil spirits and evil influences.
The Pentagram is also in use among the Jews. The Turks
have borrowed it from them, and it can be found drawn both
in their charms (havmali) and on the walls of their mosques.
These places of worship are also commonly illuminated with
1 Cp. Bennell Rodd, The Customs and Lore of Modern Greece , pp. 161 foil.
9 " On that account a small horn, tipped with silver, is frequently attached
to the ohildren's necks by means of a cord braided from the hair of a black
mare's tail. Should the evil glance be cast, it is imagined that the horn
receives it, and instantly snaps asunder." G. Borrow, The Zincali, Part i.
ch. vm.
*I6.
Birth
143
oil lamps hanging from ft wooden frame in the form of the
mystic design. 1
To return to the child. Sometimes even the armour
described already is not deemed sufficiently strong to ward off
the evil. When a child is taken suddenly ill, its indisposition
i& generally put down to the baneful influence of malignant
eyes. l( there is any doubt, it is either dispelled or confir
bbe following teat The rhinoceros' horn cross, or a sea-
shell, is dropped into i l><>wl of water. If — as it usually
happens — bubbles rise to the surface, that is taken as a cei
that the child has been * overlooked ' {^aritiatfjjKt).
In that case, it is either- sprinkled with that water, or is made
nnk of it, Mid tbt rest is thrown out of the house. The
child's face la then Barked with the dipped cross* iBiacrravpwvovy
to iratSt). In some disirieis the water used for the experiment
is what is called 'speechless or dumb/ that is, water drawn
night in perfect silemv
Th illness thus ascertained, there en>
i he <'ure. Like the amulets the rare also is of a miscellaneous
•Tally speaking it can be described as an act of
purification with fire and water. Sometimes it appears as a
!y Pagan rite : saliva obtained from the person who is
I of having overlooked the child unintentionally is
d with water, and the patient is made to drink it.* Of
a piece is torn from that persons dress and burnt, and
ni is fumigated with it. If the culprit cannot be identified,
or if he refuses to undo the barm, the sufferer is taken to
ohttrch, and the priest reads some prayers over it; for sorcery
(ftaa/eewia) is ex recognized by the Greek Church as
to be fought against by Chri-
1 The Greeks of Mytilene loo were in older days in the habit of using such
oandelahra At weddings ea a symbolic wish for the health and general well -being
of tbe newly married pair. Some interesting details about this custom are given
in a quaint Greek history oi the inland II AceV&at,* by i. A. ' A»a^¥dtrrov t
Smyrna. 1 9«l also Coray 'Ararro, torn. iv. pp, 405 foil.
* An analogouN practice was in vogue among the Roman old women i
ralOl inhibcrr ptVttO, P«TS. Sat. U. 30 foil
Cp. Pctr. ML
144 Macedonian Folklore
means. Should religion also fail, a censer with frankincense
in it is placed on the floor, and the child's father, holding it in
his arms, jumps three times through the curling smoke.
A good guarantee against the evil eye and all witchery
(rd /jLayeui) is afforded by a coat worn inside out. 1
Horses and mules are safeguarded by means of blue glass
beads woven into their bridles and trappings, or into their
manes and tails. The Turks supplement these preservatives
by the addition of a wild boar's tusk or by a charm hung round
the beast's neck.
Houses, besides the heads of garlic already mentioned, are
sometimes protected, just as in England, by a horseshoe nailed
over the door. This is said to " break the influence of the evil
eye " (airavei, to pari). When the roof is placed over a house
in the course of erection, the bricklayers plant on the top two
Christmas trees each adorned with a cross, and they stretch a
string from one to the other. Upon this string they hang
kerchiefs, sashes, and other articles with which the owner of
the house, the architect, and friendly neighbours are wont to
present them. The Jews in Salonica fix a hand of wood with
outstretched fingers high up in a corner of the house, and
suspend from it a string of garlic or an old shoe.
Fields, vines, and orchards are protected by the bleached
skulls of cattle, stuck on the top of stakes. These serve a
double purpose, first to ward off evil and secondly to scare
off crows. A similar custom prevails in some of the islands
of the Aegean;* but it is not confined to the Greeks, who in
all probability have inherited it from their forefathers. 3 It is
equally popular among the Bulgarians of Macedonia, who regard
these ghastly scarecrows as bringers of prosperity.
1 In England it need to be considered luoky to put on any article of dress,
particularly stockings, inside out. But it should not be done on purpose.
The Book of Days, voL n. p. 321. Op. Memoirs of the American Folk-Lore
Society, vol. rv. p. 80; 141.
9 W. H. D. Rouse, « Folklore from the Southern Sporades' in Folk-Lore,
June, 1899, p. 181.
* Waohsmuth, Das alte Oriechenland im neuen, p. 62, in Tozer, Researches in
the Highlands of Turkey, vol. I. p. 383.
Birth
14;.
As has been observed, the evil eye is not always cast
designedly, or with an evil purpose. It often ia the effect
. though ill-advised, admiration, which brings down
upon itfl object the wrath of a jealous deity. 1 For a like reason
pious kfaoed ira to use boastful expressions:
"Utter nut a big wavd" i^trjv \i% fieyuXo Xoyo) is a common
og which recalls kbe moralising of the chorus of old men
in the tragedy :
peydXoi &€ Xoyoi
yuXci'i TrXr)y(i\ T&9 V7r€pavxwv
air or i<ravT€$
yijpa to fypovelv iSiSagav*
■ The boastful having paid a high penalty for their haughty
words, by suffering severe affliction, have learnt wisdom in their
old age."
• Turks also express the same fear of uttering "big
words" in their homely proverb :
r, a big mouthful, but speak not a big word/*"
Akin to this is thu ancient Km nan superstition of the
."*
Persona who, after having been weaned in their infancy,
in, are especially endowed wit I I eye,
and are very chary of expressing enthusiasm, or. if they are
betrayed into undue prmil are careful to save the object
pitting and Uttering fin- appropriate formula. There are,
if her from innate malignity,
by a sense of humour, delight in a wanton exercise
ible power. I have heard of an ancient dame of
who had th- reputation of possessing an evil eye.
I any of her achi < hispered with becoming awe.
1 Cp. the idc&N of t vki on the subject: to 0tio» *& 4ov ftonpbr,
it. i Mi ,$4**tp6i ripfrtmi *w*. TO. 46, nil. 109; *tV«i
6 Mt ta VTwpJxowr* rdira wdktiwtt vn. 10, etc.
• Bo: I Cp» At*ch. Prow. S29: ^Xwffrp natal? fyai* TpatTpLfkrai.
1 Boofooh takrtui tjr, tooyook »/• . which th« Greeki render literally:
agydkif \a$td fd^*, «#->a\o \6~fO pi) '
tutitro, Bucol. Eel. Tit. 28; Cfttullun:
ifasctnar* Ungua t vu, 12.
\ iv 10
146 Macedonian Folklore
One day, it was said, as she sat at her window, she saw a young
man passing on horseback. He seemed to be so proud of himself
and his mount that the old lady — who, like the Deity in
Herodotus, " was fond of laying the exalted low,"— could not
resist the temptation of humbling him. One dread glance from
her eye and one short cry from her lips : " Oh, what a gallant
cavalier!" brought both horse and horseman to their knees.
On another occasion she noticed a servant carrying a pie from
the oven in a tray poised on his head. The rosy colour and the
seductive smell of the pie induced the redoubtable lady to
express her admiration, and she did it in terms which brought
about the immediate ruin of the pie. 1
1 For a fall and comprehensive "Account of this ancient and widespread
superstition" the reader is referred to Mr F. T. Elworthy's work on The Evil
Eye, London, 1895.
CHAPTER XL
MARRIA
Preliminary steps.
According to the Macedonians the age at which
should marry is from fifteen to seventeen for women and from
eighteen to twenty for men. The match seldom is the result
of love, but, as in go many other countries, it is arranged
between the parents on either side, with a keen eye to the
naterial welfare of the contracting parties, rather than with
any reference to their sentimental predilections Aud can we
wonder at the young Macedonian peasant's willingness t.» submit
to the rulings of 1 authority, when w* 'hat the
%t Achilles himself — the "author of the battle-din " and
avoured of the Olympians — in refusing tie- ham!
I daughter, contrasted her with the brid" whom,
41 if tie I red him and he reached home safely/' his
ither would chooee (be him? 1
Even in democratic Athens the youug lady was allowed no
the matter. H< undoubtedly gift*
to the prevailing wheo die deolon
n tat her Will ta ! and *t IS not
oeet i ■/""
this conventional rule, and
inn by which into raen the sexes is circum-
8cril>* lads and lasses of ma manage to meet
ionally either at the villlgi
fur water, or at the puhlic fairs and festivals {wavtiyvpta)
1 at weddings and oth The classic custom
U. rt, 85*4.
• Eur. Amdr. $87,
10—2
148 Macedonian Folklore
of wooing a damsel by throwing an apple into her lap 1 still exists,
though it is condemned by public opinion as improper, and is
strongly resented by the maid's kinsfolk as an impertinence.
In many cases the nuptial negotiations are carried on
through the medium of a ' match-maker ' male or female
(Trpotjevijrr)*; or irpot;evr)Tpa)? generally the latter. This matri-
monial agent is in some parts sent by the youth's parents to
the girl's ; in others by the girl's parents to the youth's.
Through this channel a preliminary ' agreement ' (<rvfjL<t>G>pia)
is arrived at regarding the terms of the contract, namely,
whether the maid is to be provided with a trousseau only
(irpoltca), or with a dowry in coin, kind, or landed property
as well (rpax<o)'
Indeed, one regrets to have to record that too often the
question of money, or money's worth, is the chief subject of
these diplomatic negotiations. Even in Macedonia, where so
much of primitive tradition and culture is still kept up, the
times when princes wedded poor shepherd-maids — if such times
ever were — have passed away. An imprudent match, however
it may be applauded in the plot of a fairy tale, as an occurrence
in real life cannot be too severely reprobated and deplored.
The bargain concluded, the match-maker is entrusted by
the bride's parents with a ring and a richly broidered hand-
kerchief, which she brings to the youth's home and exchanges
for a ring sewed with red silk thread on a black silk hand-
kerchief and a golden piece (<f>Xovpl) 9 as well as flowers and
sweets for the bride, and suitable presents for the rest of the
family. These mutual gifts are known as ' tokens ' (arjfidSia),
and their exchange as 'word of troth' (X0709), which on no
account can be broken. The young people are henceforth
regarded as practically, though not yet formally, 'bound to-
gether ' (avhepevoC)*
1 Theoor. Id. xi. 10.
2 Cp. the TpofivfyrrfHa of the ancient Greeks and the Svat or Svakha of the
modern Russians.
* In some of the islands of the Aegean the betrothed are called apuwrrbt
and iLptuxrrrh 'united,' a word that goes back to the 2nd century a.d.
W. H. D. Boose, 'Folk-lore from the Southern Sporades* in Folk-Lore %
June, 1899, p. 180 n. 2.
Marriage
149
The Macedonians have m> objection to giving awu
daughters to strangers. They naturally prefer natives of I
own village, 1 but are not a\ their »!■
u abroad" (\ tA fc^a), which often meac two or three
miles off, or receiving daughters-in-law lk from abroad " (j&vb r. f.).
n laid upon I is of expatriation in the
wedding son- noticed in the course of this sketch, is
a pure matter of fiction — OP rather of tradition i! ion.
and the grievaooe is probably a mere survival of an old pm
\ogamy long extinct The same i ie the
>laints of Russia): t heraselves as a
to be I into u far-off lands/' when, perhaps, fcbej are not
native village. T
are by Etaflaiail folkloriata explained as relics of the well-kn
clan system of olden times, according to which the meraK
uiuiinitN looked upon themselves as belonging to
one family, and eo neither attnying nor giving in marriage was
ble within the limita of the clan. The girls had, I
■■• away from horn- when they married! and, considering
i barbarous communities, a young bride might
well regard herself as migrating into the land of p ! foee
mi kith and kin.'
As a I A bet, the state of things regarded by the
(blklOfiat m belonging to the dead past is actually
Bonrishing in oettftifi parts of the Balkan Peninsula, The
Hirditea, a Catholic clan of Northern Albania, to this day
nn intermarrying within their own tribe;
but as a general rule they carry off wives from am>
Mohamn ighbours,* Consequently a Mirdite wedding as
I toedonien peasant is too shrewd ami loo patriotic not to fuel tbe
force of the He*i**1ic -I'dum:
H>* H pa\t*r* yattti^ ffTts <r49f* #f|Ml Miff. W* ""d D* 700.
"Man Indeed, he gives eipreeeion to the same idea in
more forcibly figurative, though somewhat lata elegant, language: nawedrri*
Tu\^0wnwKHT<ro ui w«u ** v*# r6r* aewj " I era content Willi a ehoe, even an
old *hoe, ao long a* it U one made in ray own native village.* 1
1 Bel 'in Kufian People, p. 80H.
1 "Odysseus, 1 ' Turkey in Europe, p. W7 i Totsr, Re* >ligh*
. foil.
150 Macedonian Folklore
often as Dot is preceded by a series of funerals. For, although
the Mohammedan maid may in some cases have no unconquer-
able aversion to being abducted, it frequently happens that her
kinsmen consider it a point of honour to defend her in grim
earnest Besides, an Albanian lives in a perpetual feud He
loves a fight for its own sake ; how much more ready he must
therefore be to shed his blood— or that of his future son-in-law —
in a cause wherein the honour of his clan is involved !
Among the Macedonians the capture of wives has long
ceased to be an actual practice ; but the memory thereof still
survives in many of the symbolic customs connected with the
marriage ceremony. Abductions, however, are not rare, and
love sometimes triumphs over the barriers set up by use
and wont. 1
Betrothal.
On the Sunday following the ' agreement/ takes place the
formal betrothal (rj appa&wva). The engagement is sanctified
by an elaborate ceremony (ZravpoXoyla), to which are invited
the married relatives of both sides (<rvnir€0€pol).
The youth's parents, preceded by the parish priest and
followed by the friends who are to act as ' witnesses ' (jiaprripoi),
repair to the maid's house. On entering, they exchange with
her parents and friends good wishes for the prosperity of the
young pair. Then they take their seats on the low divan
which runs round three sides of the room, and after a while
the 'match-maker' rises, and iu tones befittingly solemn
announces the object of the gathering. Thereupon the priest
and the parents on both sides draw near the icon-stand
(eltcopoo-Tcuri), under which is placed a small table with the
1 tokens ' upon it. The priest in the presence of the ' witnesses '
1 Among the Bulgarians of Macedonia the purchase of wives seems to survive
in a modified form. At Petritz during the Feast of the Nativity of the God-
mother (Td ycr46\uL rijt Oeordicov Sept. 8 o.s. Popularly to xavay6fn rijt
Uwaylat) I witnessed two transactions of this kind. In one case the bridegroom
agreed to pay for the maid of his choice £TS; in the other he beat his
prospective father-in-law down to £T2£. The average price of a Macedonian
cow is, I believe, £T5.
Marriage
151
proceeds to question the parents concerning the terms of the
< inent,* and until the actual marriage he is held officially
zant of the t, as a representative of the higher
ecclesiastical authori'
This piece of business ovei ligioofi port of the pro-
ngs commences. After some prayers suitable to the
occasion, the priori takes up the rings and bands (fee youth's
to t\w maid 8 * parents and wfes iww (uXXa&i rd Ba'^rvXiBta).
Then enters the bride and salutrs the assembly by kissing
3 one s hand (x€ipo<f>iXrjna) t while they in their turn present
her with a gift of one or two golden pieces each. She then
offers thetn refreshments: jam (yXvx6) t coffee, and wine or
arrack (fctpa&tia), and pp her future parents-in-law, as
well as the match-maker, with a pair of woollen socks (<tkou~
<f>oipia) knitted with her pwa handv The usual wish to the
is " May est. thou enjoy the kerchief in good health "
| M I y€l& Kp TO ILCLVTrjfkl \.
The cornp; D rise and repair to the bridegroom^
here they are received by him on the door-step and
have their hands kissed. Refreshments follow in the same
way as before, and the guests while helping themselves wish
the affi i r all pr os p e ri ty. The party then breaks up.
hile the brio M the visits and congratulations
of her maiden frisnds, who set up a dance, accompanied by
song> n following are examples.
I. Tpayovht tt;v tippafiwvas.
"TpairafoWQV&i ^' kokkipo, pijXo pLOV fiapap-tpo,
U€ <f>iX<o fiapaiv€trai % nap ae KpanZ tcXmvietrai.
Kopfjrai fi\ aXXop dyaTras* aXXov 0n\€t^ pa irdprj^*
M Bp* 6tv irt4TT€V€t$, a7r<(rre, teal Sep iroXvmarevei*;,
e f3iy\a \ rd arrirta pov % rraprats xal wapaffvpia,
Kai <rvp€ $£p€ tovk yiarpoi xaphtaBtaXe^rdBa,
fitov BtaXe^ovp rif tcapbta m$ oXa ra 4>vXXa/cdp&ia,
Kff &p tvpgs V* a\\oi/ petop <f>tXt xj) air aXXop P€iop aydtrq,
l^ift p\ d$€PTt) fiov, <r<t>(tte p ti-rrap \ rd yopard <rov t
152 Macedonian Folklore
Kal pace teal to alpd fiov \ ?va xpvao funrrf)\t y
Slip' to '? ivvea ywpid, avp to \k ScoSctca tca£a$€$,
K17 av <re pwrtjaovv 'tl V avro;' ' t\ aydirr}? pov to alfia.'"
'AyaTTT) OeXei <f>pov7]cri deXec Taireiuaya-vvrj,
SeXei Kal pAria ^a/ii7\a vd ckv<j>tovp vd irqyaivovv.
I. Betrothal Song.
"My blushing little rose, my bashful apple,
When I kiss thee thou fadest, when I embrace thee thou tremblest.
My dear maid, thou lovest another; 'tis another thou wishest to wed."
"Friend, thou wilt not trust me. unbelieving one, thou wilt put no
faith in my words !
Set a watch in my house, at both doors and windows,
And go and fetch the doctors, and the searchers of hearts,
That they may search my heart and all the petals of the heart,
And if thou findest therein a kiss from another youth, for another
youth love,
Then slay me, my lord, slay me upon thy knees,
And gather my blood in the folds of a gold-broidered kerchief,
Take it to nine villages, take it to twelve districts,
And when they question thee: 'What is this?' say: 'The blood of my
beloved.' M
Love needs prudence, love needs modesty,
It also needs downcast eyes, eyes that are bent low in walking.
II. "En-cpov (tov xopov).
{from Nigrita)}
Aura toL porta cr\ A^/xo /*', TafjLop<f>a,
Ta (f>pt5Sia a rd ypap/jueva,
— %€ tcXalv Ta pdrta fiov.
Avrd p€ KavovVy AJ7/40 p\ xrj dpptoora),
Mi fcdvovp teal ireBalvw.
— 2e icXaiv rd p,dria pov.
Tta j3yd\e t * Arjpo /*', t* dpyvpo airaOi,
Kal /cfyes /*' to K€<f>dXi,
— %k tcXalv rd fidrm jjlov.
' * Another version of this song is to be found in A. A. Tovalov, ' Td TpayoMia
rijt Uarpidot /uxt.* No. 107.
var. rdpe.
Marriagt IBZ
Kal pair to, Af//xo fft/ *ai to afyitf pov
*2 £i*a ^piwro /iai'TTjXi,
— Se *\a**> T(i paria ftov*
Kai eri/p to, A?J/xo ^4/ V t« t'rrt^i ¥*tJM
*£ ra Se*a /3i\a€Tia,
— £e rckalv ra part a fiov.
K17 av *re p6)Ttjaovv t Arjfio /1/ '* W V cil'Th;"
; /xou t<3 at/ia."
II. Another (Danciny
Refrain : My eyes are weeping for thee.
These fair eyea of thine, my Dvmos,
These jjencilled eyebrows,
'Tin these that make me, my Demos, fall i
That make me die,
Come draw, O my Demos, thy ailver-hiltod sword.
And cut off my head,
And gather un, O my Demos, my blood
In a gold-broidered kerehief,
And take it, O my D e B K I^ to the nine villages,
To the ten Governments,
And if they ask thee, toy D< hat ts this?"
Say " Tis the bl.jod of my beloved."
Next day ' trays' (<rtvid) of sweets and eak< hanged
oen the two faroili* ilment being
distributed among tl l»ers of each family; the
second d fas Am affianoed pair. These cakes are also
with a number of gifts of a mure Lasting nature
A month later, upon a Sunday, takes place an official
nits. The brides parents invite their nearest
of both MS< tpanied by them, call upon the
groom. The latter, escorted by his fn<
call either on the same or on the following 8uada]
I Th« rinjf of danc*n ia lad by the i?wr6#vproi who tings oat each torn,
tha chorn* taking tip the refrain (*Ta\a*nf).
154
Macedon ian Folklore
The bridegroom is expected to send presents to his be-
trothed from time to time, and more especially at Christmas
and Easter. These presents generally consist of articles of
apparel, such as belts, shoes, silk handkerchiefs, caps and so
forth. During Cheese- Week he sends sweet cakes, on Easter
Eve a coloured candle and coloured eggs. The bride returns
analogous preseuts, except the candle.
The path of courtship, rough and beset by obstacles as it
is before the betrothal, is hardly rnade smoother by that event
The bridegroom, ere he begins visiting his fianofa, must wait
to be asked by her father to dinner. Nor is he, on these rare
occasions, allowed a tete-a-tete with his future partner. As
a rule their intercourse is limited to a hand-shake at meeting*
when the maid kissing the young man's hand demurely bids
him welcome (tfaX&k Qpiare), and then offers him reireshio
and to a similar salutation at parting — all this being done
under the severe eyes of her parents. No other communication
is allowed, though, of course, blood bring thicker than water,
the young people often contrive to enjoy a clandestine con-
versation, which is none the less sweet because forbidden. The
difficulties and perils by which such an enterprise is atto
are illustrated by the following anecdote which I heard at
Nigrita.
A youth was very anxious to have a few minutes* chat with
his betrothed, and on a misty morning waylaid her close to
the fountain. The maid, the first surprise being over, was
nothing loth to see her beloved, and, shielded as she was by the
mist, she allowed him a modest embrace : they fancied them-
selves alone. At that critical moment, however, some jealous
demon lifted the veil of vapour and exposed the hapless twain
to the censorious eyes of a party of women, who had meanwhile
arrived and, attracted by the sound of the lovers' whisperings,
stood listening. The pair shame-faced took to flight ; but
it was long ere the tongues of the village grew weary of
wagging at their expense.
Marrio
i;>;>
The ins.
The marrying season among the Macedonian peasants is I
•>f October, about the time of the Feast ol St Dentetriua
26th o. s.). At that time of year the labours of the
vintage just concluded, and th< re in
ssion of the two essentials of merry-making: leisure
and wine. The choice of time, as is seen, is dictated by purely
i<\»l considerations. Yet, it could hardly be exp«
that so important an event in a man's life should he eutirely
from the influence of superstition, winch on s<» many other
i overrules expediency. Wo accordingly find that I
onthi and days, during phJofa DO
dare marry. No wedding, for instance, can take place in a leap-
b hrated, except
waxing moon. 1 Monday (Am/ripa) is a bad day, for a i
is apt t \&*vr€p<ivci).
This is a belief evidently aria m the name of the day, 1
and it does not hold among non-Greek populations On the
contrary, among the Christian Albanians lloi -aid to be
age, and EDOftt weddings in that province take
upon that daj Tuesday n alio an unlucky das
marrying as t«»i moot other khinga. But of all da\
flu i al to Don — an opinion
poaitlTOl] wed by the popular raying:
L-rvtliinv; \m topqp»talYj with iiu : oven mir wedding was on a
bada?*"
0< kod upon m ptttiouiarij unsuitable
for marriage.*. Tins p M iv i infilled to
k race. It is shared by nearly
1 Tlw Orkney ialanden likcwi** object to marrying an a waning moon, an
instance of eyitiholinm. ba**d on association of idea*, which ima«inp« * #ym-
pttthy of growing and declining nature with iho change* of the moon. See
Tyler, »ir*% vol. i. p, 190.
1 Op,, howtvar, MenuHn of the American Folk Lore Society, tol. iy. p, 61.
/«, p. aae.
156 Macedonian Folklore
all European nations. It is met with in England, Italy and
France. In many French provinces one still hears the proverb :
" May wedding, deadly wedding" (Noces de Mai, noces de mort).
We also know that it existed in a very strong form in ancient
Rome. Ovid tells us that both maidens and widows avoided
lighting the bridal torch in that month, for fear lest it should
soon be turned into a burial torch. The same poet supplies
us with an explanation of the prevailing superstition. He
attributes it to the occurrence in that month of the funeral
rites of the LemuraliaJ If that explanation is correct, in the
modern objection to May weddings we have an interesting
survival, "a striking example how an idea, the meaning of
which has perished for ages, may continue to exist simply
because it has existed."*
The Macedonians, like the Jews, are fond of stretching out
a festival to its utmost length, and a Macedonian wedding may
be compared to a tedious fifteen-act play. It lasts for a whole
fortnight, each day having its own duties and delights. It
further resembles a Jewish wedding in its complex and alle-
gorical character, as will soon appear.
I.
When the date for the marriage ceremony has been fixed,
the bridegroom on the preceding Sunday sends to the bride a
quantity of henna, and soon after he calls in person. He kisses
the hands of his parents-in-law that are to be, and then without
further ado proceeds to the point, which is a pure matter of
business. If the bride, according to the 'agreement/ is to
bring him a portion in money, he receives it there and then, or
if the rpaxcofia consists of land or real property he gets a
written security for it.
1 Neo vidnae taedis eadem, nee Virginia apta
Tempore. Quae nupsit, non diuturna fuit.
Hac quoque de causa, si te proverbia tangunt,
Mense malas Maio nubere volgus ait.
Ofid. Fast. v. 487.
f Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. i. pp. 70—71.
Marria
157
In omenee the feefcmtiee, Tl
. trbera khey slog mid n
ry, while t-> the bi rt her maiden fneodfl
a in like manner, Th< »ns assi-
[•i-i.'parationa throughout the week.
First of all, on the Monday thr\ help bile bridi her
with the henna * from the bridegroom! Thes
dye their own hair with it This act is accompanied by a
special km
TpayovSt, ti)s x a P <!
(From Gavatta)
"OvTa*; fJnpovp ttj pv<f>7j /cai
; * liv^tjaov /*.€, fiuvovXa pou, va 0aXa> rfjs pTroytais fiov,"
u Me Tijv cv)(t} fi, iratSttKt pov f va fr}c*Te, vh TrpoKoyfrre, 1
"A* %ov<T€ tcr) o TraWpac pov, <rav rt X a P** ^'* *f ra *!
*ovaav teat T nEip^ia ftov, trap ri X a P'* &<* P>p'
tip KaXti t} papa fiov t traXt X a P" ^ ft J^ P V »
Wedding 8m
my dear mother, that I may *\\<h thi dye."
i .lowing, my dear ( |*er"
what a Rejoicing w
won? in life, Oh, what a Rejoicing would there be!
May my mother be well, BtiU a BajoMo| fchflM ahaU be!" 1
Tuesday, being a day of ill-omeo, m qpent in idkn
eice{- bride end b< ta wash their heir. Wed*
<«*es the '* folding up of 1 1 " (SiwXwpovv
The Mnfiter' {tutXhrf
,w 'Rejoicing' in the name by which the wedding l7aM©t) is very usually
called. The * Rejoicing Song*' {rpayrib* rf}» Xo^tK however, ac will be cots,
often arc of a very on joyful chant* other tonge of thin dace from
Kephelonia w* Berttltard Schmi oe. 40 — 48.
1 II need not be utippowi that i ben a«e really dead,
lacedomane like to take their -' sadly, or. may be, to enhance
the pleasure by the contract of pain— a trait of character which tnuet constantly
be borne in mind.
156 Macedonian Folklore
all European nations. It is met with in England, Italy and
France. In many French provinces one still hears the proverb:
" May wedding, deadly wedding " (Noces de Mai, noces de mort).
We also know that it existed in a very strong form in ancient
Rome. Ovid tells us that both maidens and widows avoided
lighting the bridal torch in that month, for fear lest it should
soon be turned into a burial torch. The same poet supplies
us with an explanation of the prevailing superstition. He
attributes it to the occurrence in that month of the funeral
rites of the Lemuralia. 1 If that explanation is correct, in the
modern objection to May weddings we have an interesting
survival, "a striking example how an idea, the meaning of
which has perished for ages, may continue to exist simply
because it has existed." *
The Macedonians, like the Jews, are fond of stretching out
a festival to its utmost length, and a Macedonian wedding may
be compared to a tedious fifteen-act play. It lasts for a whole
fortnight, each day having its own duties and delights. It
further resembles a Jewish wedding in its complex and alle-
gorical character, as will soon appear.
I.
When the date for the marriage ceremony has been fixed,
the bridegroom on the preceding Sunday sends to the bride a
quantity of henna, and soon after he calls in person. He kisses
the hands of his parents-in-law that are to be, and then without
further ado proceeds to the point, which is a pure matter of
business. If the bride, according to the 'agreement/ is to
bring him a portion in money, he receives it there and then, or
if the Tpdycfifia consists of land or real property he gets a
written security for it.
1 Nee vidnae taedis eadem, nee Virginia apta
Tempora. Quae nupsit, non diuturna fait.
Hao quoque de causa, si te proverbia tangunt,
Mense malas Maio nubere volgus ait.
Ovid. Fast. v. 487.
f Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. i. pp. 70—71.
M<<
In the evening commence the festivities. »om'a
ades assemble hi his house, where they sing and make
men to the bride rt her maiden friends and
i like manner. The- -ns assi-
the preparations throughout the \\v
First of all, on the Ko&dftJ they help the b her
hair with the her bom the bridegruonx 1
dye their ftWB hair with it. This art hy a
special song:
TpayovBi tt}<? x a P i!
{F y rom Oamtla*)
"Ovras jSfivovv rt] i>v<f>rj nava.
** Evxjjaov pe, fiaiovXa fiov, vd fiaXw ttjc. pTToytah nov.'*
Mt rijv *^X^ /*\ iratfaiiet fiov t vn %f}&T€, vd ir/>o*<tyT€,"
v<re xt} 6 iraripas pov, aav ri X a P** $ tl f ) Tav !
Ay £ov<rav teat r dhipfyta fiov, tjnv ri X a P ft &** >}Tav I
*W tcaXd 7) ftdpa pov, trdXt %ap() M
Thi nf the h?*i<ies fa
44 Bless me, my dear mutlur, that I may apply the
were in life. Oh, what re be!
May • well, still A Rcj«u « shall In
Tuaadfl ill oattfi, it iptnt :i» idles
except that the bride and her d beir hair. v
nesday witnesses the "folding up of the trousxeau" (hvwXwvow
tiJ trpoltca). The 'Inviter* (KaXiarpa) with a tinsel-cov
' Xajm ' I m the muse by which ih# wedding (T^uor) it very usually
called. Tbe Rejoicing Song*' (T^>o*^a rfi Xo^at h» will be teen,
often mof i very an joyful character. For other *ongi of thin cUah from
Kephahmie tee S Ur No*. 40 — 49.
1 It need not be supposed that her bite Mid bfOtbm ere really deed.
The Macedonian* like to take thrir » Bejoieings' *« to enhance
the pleeeure by the contnut of pain— a trait of character which must constantly
be borne in mind.
156 Macedonian Folklore
all European nations. It is met with in England, Italy and
France. In many French provinces one still hears the proverb:
" May wedding, deadly wedding " (Noces de Mai, noces de mort).
We also know that it existed in a very strong form in ancient
Rome. Ovid tells us that both maidens and widows avoided
lighting the bridal torch in that month, for fear lest it should
soon be turned into a burial torch. The same poet supplies
us with an explanation of the prevailing superstition. He
attributes it to the occurrence in that month of the funeral
rites of the Lemuralia. 1 If that explanation is correct, in the
modern objection to May weddings we have an interesting
survival, "a striking example how an idea, the meaning of
which has perished for ages, may continue to exist simply
because it has existed." *
The Macedonians, like the Jews, are fond of stretching out
a festival to its utmost length, and a Macedonian wedding may
be compared to a tedious fifteen-act play. It lasts for a whole
fortnight, each day having its own duties and delights. It
further resembles a Jewish wedding in its complex and alle-
gorical character, as will soon appear.
I.
When the date for the marriage ceremony has been fixed,
the bridegroom on the preceding Sunday sends to the bride a
quantity of henna, and soon after he calls in person. He kisses
the hands of his parents-in-law that are to be, and then without
further ado proceeds to the point, which is a pure matter of
business. If the bride, according to the 'agreement/ is to
bring him a portion in money, he receives it there and then, or
if the Tpdx<oiJ,a consists of land or real property he gets a
written security for it.
1 Neo viduae taedis eadem, nee virginis apta
Tempora. Quae xrapait, non diuturna fuit.
Hac quoque de causa, si te proverbia tangunt,
Mense malaa Maio nubere volgus ait.
Orid. Fast. v. 487.
* Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. i. pp. 70—71.
Marriage
i;>7
In the evening comment' the B The Lindeisjroom'a
tasemble in his house, where fchey sing and make
the bride's house resort her maiden friends and
selves in like mamn *e maid- r ii j
the preparations throughout the week.
First ot all, on the Monday they help the bride to dye her
with (he henna received from the bridegroom. They also
dye their own hair with it. This act is accompanied by a
Special song:
TpcvyovSi ri)<i %apa$ l
TaK fiavovv rt) vvtfyrf /cava.
11 Evxrf&ov fie, pavovXa ^ou t pa (3d\et> rijc fiwoytaU fiov."
u iti rrjv evx*) M>\ iratlfiKt pov t p<% #7<7T€, pa wpaxo^re"
-r tovae icy 6 iraripas jmov> adv ri %apd 0<* t)rap!
*Au %ovaav teat r dh£p<pta fiov, adp ri \ a P** &<* ^T 70 ^ '
for fcaXn i) fidva p,ov t iniXt x a P tl & (t Y*
ridtt ha
mv dear OAOlher, thai
i beve wj leu child -i»cr."
ug would I
were in lif.\ Oh, what uM there be!
May I «t l»e wdl, still a 1 there thai] be!* 1
Tuesday, being a day of ill-omen, is spent in idleness,
except that the bride and l« b wash their hair, Wed-
\ w mi. H»es the " folding up < rousseau" (&tv\w*ovp
rrj irpolica). The 'Inriter' {Ka\i<7Tpa) with ft tinsel-COVf
1 Xtt,wi ' J v<v«*) i» v«7 usually
e*ll«d. The -IWjoicing So«k»' trpa>o^i* r,,i Xo^xif wen,
often ere of * very unjoyful eiiaiacter. For other eongi of thin elate from
Keptud o ui» eec Bernhard 8c h m id I, H Joe. 40 — 19.
1 It need not be supposed that her f > <<r* are really dead.
The Macedonian* like to take their * Rejoicing' sadly, or, may be, to enhance
the pleasure by the contrast of pain— a trait of character which moel constantly
be borne in mind.
160 Macedonian Folklore
When the fermeutation of the dough is completed (orav
tyraxjovv) the Kalimana smears one of the cakes with honey,
sprinkles it with sesame, and adorns it with almonds. This is
the cake which will be used for the holy communion in the
wedding ceremony. The other six, which are distributed
among the relatives after the service, are prepared in like
manner by the Sympetherais. In some districts two big ring-
shaped cakes {tco\ovpia) are made, which the bride wears round
her arms on her way to the bridegroom's house on the wedding-
day. She then breaks one of them half-way to the house and
the other at the entrance, and scatters the pieces among the
crowd. These pieces are picked up and religiously preserved,
for they are supposed to possess wondrous virtues for women
in child-bed.
While these cakes are in the course of preparation, the
bridegroom secretly sends to the bride's house a boy with a
little flour. Her friends lure her to a corner and there sprinkle
the flour over her (rrjv dXevpoivovv). The same trick is played
upon any relatives of the bride who happen to call at the
bridegroom's during the day and vice versa. This custom of
•' beflouring," which is now-a-days regarded as mere horseplay,
may well have originated in the belief that flour keeps evil
spirits off. We find that oatmeal is used in the Highlands of
Scotland with an avowedly similar purpose. 1
In the evening one of the bride's maiden friends puts on a
man's cap— thus symbolically representing the bridegroom —
and dyes the bride's hair with henna, while the other maids
stand round singing. They then take the bride by the hand
and set up a dance. The following are some of the songs sung
on this occasion.
1 It was usual with people going on journeys after nightfall to take some
with them ; the pockets of boys were filled with it ; old men sprinkled them-
selves with it when going on a night journey. J. G. Campbell, Superstitions
of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, pp. 47 foU.
Marrii
161
I. (From Ziclt vi.)
y\tti <f>opd V j} Xe/UcVTi--
Mf i <f>opd 9 p ra.
Mt %Qv\€>frav jf €firjp<f>afi /cy oXa rd waXXrffCapia,
ZovXety* K if fuiva pou /cat $£\€t vd pe Swifi;,
A^fec p€ t pava p\ hiut^i^ pe rroXv patcpvd s rd fcW,
M feVaic a&epifraU teal £eisa<c irapapavais,
uc vd 7r\tV T/i pov^d pov* fewwc /rat fa *a\a ^m>i/,
NtrJHi ^ot/ f r# XovXovBia pov ttaXii Va ra *vtt« £17?.
\\*6pa trrjfiepd V rn £«■>* avpto zeal ro ^Lafifidro,
Trj Kvptaxi) a d<piva) yeta p€ pijXo ^a^apdro.
'A<f>ivto yeid 'c rov pa^aXd teal y€td ? rd TraXXyicdpia,
s~ rif ptiva pov rpia yvaXid <$>app,dKi'
T&va 1 7 to TTpiai tcai r aXX* ro p.i<njp*pi.
Toj*>a to fipdBv vd Btim *$ T J7 l 'd KoipdraiK
b conies but once 2 ,
\Y» j niilv mice,
rave lads ar© jealous of tne.
Mj i»t also cm to m and geeks to turn BM out.
n me out, m in.- far away to foreign parte.
That I may make sinter* of strange women, and foster-mothers of
vignera,
That foreign women may wash my lima, and my beet clothes
my mother, tend my dear plants «
BUffmr, and on Saturday that I am here,
bid thee farewell with a sugar sweet apple'.
1 leave a 'fart' Hage, *a farewell' fee t; lads,
Am phkJi <«f jk>i-
One of which to drink at m other at mid-day,
The third on which to c, and lay her down and sleep.*
1 A variant of the last four lines it given by Pmsow, No. 618.
* Ancient Greek poetry abound* in similar sentiments. Tbeofmii even
prefers de*> uth -
"Alport* Mpvwoi *<ti wjfTio*., Urw Oar&rat
K\*t0*r\ M' q0vt aVrfot (LroWtfuwo*. 877,
* Wbsn tlw bride l*av#* her home, her mother hands her su a.
the throws back boulder M that she may leave sweet memories behind
ha?" (r d^ipp fXi'na widv rip),
•"attorns ari" Ho*ltrn Grttee, p. 08.
la, of course, figurative of the D prtoff al w»i««fag flftr
every hour of the day.
A. F. 1 I
162 Macedonian Folklore
II. {From Melenik. 1 )
'A/cofia arffiep' elfiac Sou, UapcuTteevr), 2a/3/3aTo,
Ttj Kvpta/CT) a d<f>ivov yeui, \ rd eprjfia 0d wdvov,
©a irdv \ r drjSovia rd wo\\d teal \ tou9 x ovt P°v* tou9
c<rtaov<;,
Na irkato v diro/eoifirjOw, vd it a pay &pav ihrvo,
N' d/cova t drjSovca ttco? Xakovu koI rd irovXta ir£>$ tcKai-
yovv,
II a>9 Karaptovvrai tov drjri yid rd /jutepd r\ dpTrdyvsi •
"'Ayri fi' vd <f>a<; rd vv%ia <rov, rd vvyoirohapd <rov y
Uov fi e<f>aye$ to ralpi yuov diro ttjv dytcaXid fiov,
Uov roiya tca\ r dy/ed\ta£a fcai to y\vKO<f>t\ovcra."
Yet this day I am here, on Friday and Saturday.
On Sunday I shall bid thee farewell, to the wilderness shall I go.
I shall go to the flocks of nightingales and to the fat shadows,
To lay me down and slumber, to snatch an hour's sleep,
To listen to the nightingales' songs and to the birds' plaints:
How they curse the eagle for their young ones which he carries off:
"0 eagle, mayst thou eat away thine own claws, thy claws and talons;
For thou hast eaten my mate from between my arms,
The mate whom I was wont to fondle and sweetly kiss."
While the kneading of the cakes is going on in the
bride's house, the bridegroom, accompanied by his friends,
calls on the best man and kneeling to him and kissing his
hand invites him officially to his house. On the same evening
a pie (irovyaTaa) is sent to the bride, and she breaks it herself
as a symbol that she has finally and irrevocably accepted him
as her lord and master. A great banquet (<f>t\id*) at the
bridegroom's brings the day's doings to a close.
In some districts all these ceremonies occur on the Friday,
while Thursday is spent otherwise : the bride through the
1 The above version is word for word as I heard it at Melenik. I picked up
two more versions, one at Nevrokop and another at Nigrita. They both contain
the bird's plaint to the eagle. For parallels to this idea, see Passow, Nos.
404 — 407. Another variant will be found in A. A. Tovalov, 'Ta Tpayotfaa rijs
UarplSot fiov' No. 166.
* Lit. * friendship ' or ' affection. '
Marrhtf/e
163
Ka\4arpa invites her maiden friends, who, after having danced
in her house to the strains of music, accompany her to a public
biith where they all bathe 1 , the expenses being defrayed !>y the
bride g r o om. Then they return to the bride and set
up another dance. If there is to be a banquet in the evening,
stay, and after it a third dance ensues* Later on the
bridegroom, who has also performed his ablutions with his
<ls and has feasted them, comes with them to the bi i
and lads and taona dance together till morning. If there is no
banquet they dispone early.
Ill
Friday also is a busy day. In the morning a party of
youths go forth "for the firewood" (\ to £v\a) which is to
be naed in the coining feast. This task is performed in true
naaota ftbejp trices thi? raS,
i tit, and ropes to ftling tbe kmL
Firnt march the Reavy mule-** ■ km t
\ i ilia, o'er dales, o'er craga, o'er rocks, they go.
Then
The wood the Grecians cleave, prepaid to burn;
And the slow mules the sa> road return. 1
The return journey is accomplished with great pomp and
ncc The | n is led by a hor>< a hose
saddle is planted a high pole witli ■ banner flying from it.
An apple or onflgfl le stock on pole, and a
handkerchief n and it. near the
village, t a band of drum* and pipes, which
them home, ami on the way a i
is sung.
In the iH ea place kl iverj of the trousseau "
(TrpotKOTrapd&ovtl T Enpani <1 by some of the
1 The custom of bathing before the marriage cvr cranny i*p6 TapisA*) wa*
religiously observed by the ancient Athenians, the water for this function being
drawn from the tarred spring known in the lime of Thucydidea a* Kallirhoe or
Fair fountain, n in. fc)
1 rope't ny&a laefoti.
11 — 2
164 Macedonian Folklore
notables of the village (irpotcpirot), calls at the bride's and
makes up an inventory of the trousseau (fedfivovv to TrpotKoavfi-
(fxovo). The brides parents and herself affix their signatures,
or their marks, to the document, and then the trousseau is
" piled up " ((TTi/3d£ouv) in a conspicuous place, for the inspec-
tion and envy of the neighbours. Two hours before nightfall
various female relatives are invited to come and "turn over
the trousseau" (yvpifyvv rrj irpoUa), that is, to arrange and
put it back into the boxes, throwing into them sugar-plums
and wishing that it may be " sweet as sugar " (yavai yXvtceiii
<rdv rrj £axapi). 1 An old woman is appointed to guard it till
the next day, when the best man gives her a present, that she
may allow it to be taken to the bridegroom's.
The arrangement of the trousseau is accompanied by this
song:
Kopf) fi t\ <t fjpOe fJLijwfia diro rrj ireOepd aov,
K6p7) fJL TTJ TTpolxd <T* 6p0(0V€ KCLt TOV SdpO (T ' KOVOfJLCl.
" 'E7o> rrj it polled fi (opOaxra teal rov Sapo yt \ov6fxaa,
'Ko/ua to fia^CKdpi fiov opyd 0d to wXrjpaxra)^ 2
My dear maid, a message has come to thee from thy mother-in-law:
My dear maid, arrange thy trousseau, and thy gifts prepare.
"I have arranged my trousseau and my gifts have I prepared.
My bridal pillow still remains; but I shall soon finish that too."
In the evening, soon after sunset, invitations to the wedding
(/caXeo-fxara) are issued by the two parties to their respective
friends. This is done as follows: Two boys, one bearing a
lantern and the other a flagon of wine (boukla), crowned with
flowers, and a parcel of cloves wrapt up in paper, are sent
round to deliver this message : " Take this clove, it is from
So-and-so. Thou art asked to come to the 'Rejoicing.'" (Na
avro to yapov<f>a\\o, elvai Vo rov rdhc. TLlaat KaXea/Mevo?
1 v. supra p. 109 n.
* irXifptfow in M. Gr. generally means 'to pay,* but in some parts of
Macedonia it is used in the sense of 'finishing.' Henee occasionally arise
amusing incidents:
Customer : Let me have some wine.
Tavern keeper : irXripuxre (' it is finished ' — none left ; but also) ' pay! '
Customer: How can you ask me to pay, before giving me the wine?
Marriaffi
165
vapBrjs \ t^ Xapri) The person thus invited brinks from the
n, accepts the clove, which is kept, ano 1 wishes w long life N
to thr
IV.
On 11 to the bridegroom's. His
anted on their steeds, ride to his house whore
it, drink toasts, and set up a dance, il two
of tii v through thr pillage DO two of
hioh are to cany tl Then they return
in order t<> join their n ud the
cavak the l>n
tie bl ide lit- and n !
these gifts, drank, and danoed, th» v toed thr horses with the
icing a litl n eafib The bridal pillow
is carried bj a hoy on foot. He runs ahead* before the
cession h he bridegro*
whom h< 11 When the tronsBean has
arrived, it is pled up in ind the hrul
moth plums upon il Bnota the window. Then
ihmentei d to the carriers, and singing and dancing
I the pile follow.
\ barbel is subsequently called in, and he shaves the
bride _ is tin nds, with great Boleoil
I regret that I was not able I men of the songs
On the same day the bridegroom sends to the bride the
! gold (riXia or rpais), veil (axhrfj), fur-i
i (KpovtriW*: ip which she is to wear on the wedding
day — iu a word the whole bridal outfit. These presents are
I Kalinin. In lome districts they are known as Vo#e<m\
uing the bridegroom sends to the bride a dinnet
(o Scnri'oO, consisting of three or four courses, and a cake
(*\ixi). The bride in the meantime is kept secluded in a
h the 1 vho on hearing that the dn
has I the door, crying n i unless
|iay five (piastres) and a cake" (Mi td irejre ku
166 Macedonian Folklore
k\Ul). The cake-bearer, one of the bridegrooms nearest
kinswomen, pays a sum of money to the bridesmaids and is
admitted into the room. The bride receives the cake standing
in a corner and breaks it upon her knee into two pieces.
During this performance, the male gift-bearers pass into the
room and partake of refreshments, while the train of youths
who accompanied them set up a dance in the courtyard outside.
In this dance joins the bride escorted by her brother, or nearest
male relative, her head covered with a gorgeous silk kerchief.
After three turns of the slow and sedate syrtos she retires,
and the guests depart. On their way back they are met by
the bridegroom, and they all together, with the band playing
in front, go and take the best man to the bridegroom's house,
where they sit down to a banquet.
A dance follows and lasts till early dawn (fiadeials xapaais),
when the youths, with the band, escort the best man home
and afterwards wander about the streets serenading (waTivdha).
A similar 'family feast' (avyyeviKr)) takes place at the
bride's. The guests in both cases are invited by special
'inviters,' termed 'bystanders' (wapaaToXia or Trapaareicd-
fievot), who accompany the invitation to the banquet with a
cake and a bottle of wine or arrack.
When the guests are assembled they are greeted by the
host in these words :
4>tXot fi, fcaXax; wpiaare, <f>t\oi p tcrj ayawTj/j^vot,,
N£ <f>ap.€ rd capdvr dpvid, rd Be/coxro) icpidpia,
Na Tnovpe t6 ykv/cd tepaal, to fioaypfivptafievo.
"My friends, my dearly beloved friends, welcome
To feast on forty sheep and eighteen rams,
To drink sweet wine, wine scented with musk."
To which they answer in chorus :
f H/i€t9 iS<S &ev rjpOape vd <f>ap€ zeal vd iriovp.e,
'H/iefc <ra? dyairovaafie tc rjpOafie vd <ra? 8iovp,€.
"We have not come here to eat and drink,
We have come to see you because of our love for you."
Marriage
107
The entertainment is further enlivened by special songs
called 'Table-Songs' (rpaire^ifcn) of which the following is a
fur example :
Via &€? rpairtfya apyvpa r atvta fiaXafiaraua,
Tpiyvpca yvpm ap%ovT€$. \ tt/ p.k<rr\ i Aeo-Trorijv.
-'ti< tv\oyov<T€ k Jtkeyt, <rav €v\oya Kai Xeyet:
***£ avra ra ciriria wovp0a)i€ irirpa vti fit) payiatf,
Kfj 6 voiKOKvprjs rov trjriTLOV TToWa xpovta va &}&$." *
Behold tables of silver, trays of gold :
ltmimi aboul in the midst the Bishofb
He uttered a benediction; in bia liilessinfl he a
"Of the dwelling wherein we are gathered may not a stone ever crack,
And the lord of the iy he live many a year ! "
The burden of these banquets is not entirely tome by the
s anl bridegroom's parents. The guests contribute their
quota, which consists of 'slaughtered lambs' (a^a^ra) and
lag utensils, lamps, and the like, To each
le is affixed I wish, signed with th< r*S name, e.g.
" M i\ r! tow old, and may God bestow upon them
lbs wealth of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob*' (N« %r)oovr
yUpnaouv Kjj 6 tfeo? vd tous x a R^V r °v % A,ffpeMfi t *l<rad/c *<u
*\aKw/3 rd ayaBa). These gifts m hfflKJfd era to a specially
ward (K€\\apT±r}$ or cellar-in
The V Procession,
At last the day oi has dawned. Early on Sunday
[ng the brid and helps to tidy up the horn
BModenbood for Then she sets about her
toilet Her hftfl Enbed and braided by h» :
and bridesmaids. He who assist at tin- perform*
shower upon her silver pieces, which are picked up by the
maids and preserved as lucky. She is then dressed in tii»«
bridal attire sent by the bridegroom on the previous day. Her
head is adorned with gold threads reaching to the knees and
her face is covered with a long pink veil. One of her brothers
1 From A. A. lWJoi*, ' TA Tpayvfifa Hjt t\arplao§ jua," No. 81.
168 Macedonian Folklore
binds a belt round her waist with three knots. When fully
arrayed, she kisses the hands of all present and with downcast
eyes demurely steps across the room and takes up her station
in a corner, specially decorated with a fine carpet and plants
of the season, chiefly ivy, which is an emblem of perennial
youth and freshness. This spot is called " The bride's corner "
(vvfoaToXi).
The bridesmaids then proceed to place on her head a
wreath of artificial flowers, singing the while the following
song :
" Nv<f>ov$d ft, tL /Lias fuivi<r€<; teal irXecd he f*a$ ap/rrov-
Kal Be yvpl%€i$ va fia$ 8trj$ firjSe vd /ui9 puXtfo-Tj? ; "
" IIa>9 va yvpiaco vd <ra$ Bico teal 7ra>? va aa$ pnXrjaco;
M% pdyfrave rd fidrui fiov fi ivved Xoytov fi€Tdl;t,."
"Dear little bride, wherefore art thou angry with us and wilt no longer
speak to us?
Wherefore dost thou not turn to look at us, nor talk with us?"
"How can I turn to look at you, how can I talk with you?
My eyes are stitched with silk of nine sorts." 2
The bride in return for these attentions presents each of
the maids with a crape kerchief (aapX) as a symbol of a speedy
entrance into the married state.
The bridegroom sends presents to her father, mother, sisters
and brothers, while she has ready a basketful of gifts for his
people. These mutual donations consist of articles of dress,
such as skirts, sashes, silk aprons, slippers, lace collars and
the like.
While the performance described above is enacted in the
young lady's house, the bridegroom also is donning his festive
attire with his friends' assistance. In some districts it is the
custom for the groom, as he is being decked out, to stand upon
the nether stone of a handmill — the appliance used by the
1 A Bulgarian synonym of the Greek 6iu\Q (1. 2) ' to converse.*
* The song alludes to the bride's stiff and silent attitude prescribed by
convention.
Minn
169
(TrXfiyovpt). 1 When thoron
pped be kisses his parents' hands, and they give him I
Then he seta out with the prn obled
' in process led by a band. On nicks
up i: i who, accompanied by tin- best woman 1
wife Off moth r), joins the train, riming in his hands a
of wine, d« auIi tl< 1 b cakfi, while the
at woman' bears a basket covered over with a silk hand-
kerchief and i taining die wedding i (ra artyai
piece of ituff for a p 'unis. Thu^ I the
| aljpiie..* # ThE toklovping song
A ;\ ;*/::/ ; 5 • :
•• •• •
{From I
'EfXTTtJKa V* 1T€pt0Q\i *<T€ f3a<Tl\tKO t
Bpi<TKO) Kopt) ttov Kotp^oxwrav (M>v Kai fiovax'b
"Eaicvyfra va tt\ <pt\f)<ro> t Be* /ic Se^rr/Art,
McraScvTepwi'u* iraXi, xaiAoy€\a<r€ t
TpeaKaas TO kokvo X € ^ 1 * at P* A«Xno-e"
h \\ovaav t ffi-'€ p\ to ^tfxwia opt dppw<m}<ra t
K* r//?T€s Tw/?a KnXotcaipi trov gappwarfjaa ; M
1 'Eci'i^ fjfMOW ij tcavpeio*, fcVa SovXftM
-T€<Xa 7t/aXl *a/ val Kapap.irv
b ; ml fifty y$ rd fiaWritcm a\ ra $av$a paWta."
t entomi int*» 1 royal garden
Ami tli. -n* I found a 03 iog >*1) l»y herself.
I ittoo)H*d to kiss her; bill >e.
HnfletL
opened her r ml Mj*>kn to m
re wert thou, O stranger* during the win* ^ ill^
1 In Moliro, * village of Lesbos, it wai once the custom for Hm bridegroom
to itU-iid on >» largo copper ir»y — a custom in which a Grwk writer «*«« a
nieeet ba new Emperor
fitood on ft shield, 21. A. *Are>7*ArrM% ■ Ar*0«*V p. I theory, though
raewbet f at fetched lit rir»t ei^ht, i.ilhm well with the phraseology of the
wedding Htee end tonga (e.g, <rT<+drvna t o>x°*™i etc. ) ae well at with the regel
pomp which pervade* the ceremony.
9 A email town on the coast, * little to the west of Ca?a11a,
170
Mi teedon ia n Folklore
And thou comeat wow in the summer when I am recovered V*
u Alas ! I was a wanderer, I was working in foreign parts,
I sent thee a mirror and a comb and dye,
Wherewith to colour thy dear tresses, thy golden locka."
By this time the corihge has reached its destination. In
some districts there takes place a sham fight between the
bridegroom's and the bride's friends. In most places, however,
the capture of the bride has dwindled to a mere shadow,
The bridesmaids shut the door in the bridegroom's face and
will not opeo it until he has offered them presents. In ceo
parts the bridegroom's friends are compelled to dance and sing
to the 1 1 1; Vn Is, nth- tv *s he lattei refuse to deliver the bride.
Another trait of the ceremony deserving some notice is the
rule according to which the bridegroom on wearing the brides
house, must throw an apple or a pomegranate over the roof
On the meaning of this we shall have occasion to comment at
a later stage of the proceedings.
When the bridegroom has gained admittance, he draws near
the bride, and accepts a glass of wine from the hands of her
sister, who afterwards ties a fine handkerchief round his neck
and slaps him in the face. At the same time the bride is
tying another handkerchief with three knots round the best
man's neck.
These tyings may be a relic of the capture custom ; but it
is more likely that the knots are meant as a device against
sorcery. For the same reason among the Russians a net " from
its affluence of knots" is sometimes flung over the bride or the
bridegroom, and his companions are girt with pieces of net * or
at least with tight-drawn girdles, for before a wizard can begin
to injure them he must undo all the knots in the net, or take
off the girdles," 1
The magic significance of the ginlle is not unknown to the
Macedonian peasants. In a popular song a love-lorn prince
Meets on the way two witches, mother and daughter
The daughter wist his woe and thus to her mother spoke:
*Seest thou, mother mine, this youth so worn with care/
1 RalBton, Smfjt of the Russian PeapU, p< 390. Cp. G, GeorgeakU et I«6on
Pineau, Lt Folk-Lore de Lt*bo*, p. 344.
Marriage
171
He loves a maiden fair, but she loves him not/
The mother then at 1 dressed the prince and thus to him she spoke:
* What wilt thou give me, my sou, that I may make her consent ? '
* If silver thou desirest take it, or take pearls. 1
ither silver do I desire nor even pearls,
Only the girdle which thou wearest, that thou must give me,'
He unfastens his girdle and gives it to the witch. 1
The influence of knots and girdles over matters matrimonial
is not to be denied or disputed. But a knot is a symbol that cuts
both ways. In the above instances it is the ' tying* of one that
safeguards the newly-married pair against sorcerjj. m The belief
in the 'loosening/ efficacy o£ a knc is equally
popular.* '- ;'\ :
The two parties "then form one procession and set forth on
their way to the church.
The bride on leaving her 'corner 1 makes the sign of the
cross; when she has reached the threshold of the room, she
bows three times to the ground — a solemn farewell, — ups.
glass of wine with her right foot and moves out of the house
with feigned reluctance, supported on either side by her munis
or by her brothers, or, in some districts, by the best man and
the best wumun who, being of the enemy's camp, thus keep up
the semblance of carrying her off as a captive. So the pro-
cession moves on, the bride walking slowly with downcast eyes
(icapapt&vet) and stopping to kiss the hands of her elders on the
way. The bridegroom and his corttge lead the van with the
hand at the head, and the bride's party brings up the rear.
In BOme districts this party includes a person carrying a
gigantic spit with a lamb on his shoulder. Through the din
of fire-arms, with which the pRXMaioo is greeted by the
bystanders, may be heard the voices of the bridesmaids singing:
1 For the original Bee A. A. IVtJiriev, *Ta Tpayovdta rffi tlarpiSos pu>u t ' No. 35.
8 J. G. Frazer, Thr (hihhft IUhujIi, vol. t pp. 394 foil. The sorcery dreaded
by Greek married couples usually takes the form of rendering the husband
incapable of fulfilling his conjugal mission. This is technically called u bind-
ing/* The process* by which he if freed from the falters of witchcraft is termed
" loosing/' Prescription* for the latter ceremony will be given in the sequel of
thin work.
172 Macedonian Folklore
The Faithful Wife. 1 {From Shatista.)
The dawn has risen and the Pleiades have set
The nightingales repair to their pastures and the fair ones to the fountain.
I take my black steed and go to give him to drink.
I meet one maid, I meet two, I meet three and five.
I find a young woman washing her husband's handkerchief.
I beg her for water to give my black steed to drink.
Forty cups she gave me; but in the eyes I could not look her,
But after the fortieth I looked and saw them tearful.
"What aiV/lfeee, day dear, girl, wherefore dost thou shed black tears?"
"I have a'hw&baiitr.w&i ^8;ip foreign 2W&, # A husband who is abroad.
I have waited for him twelve y<B? 4? will .wait Jtjiree more,
And after the three years a nun will I become,
I will array myself in black, to the convent will I go."
" I, my dear girl, am thy husband, I am thy beloved."
"If thou truly art my husband, if thou truly art my beloved,
Show tokens of my body, tokens of my home."
"There is a mole between thy breasts, a vine in thy court-yard. n
In some parts of Macedonia it is the custom for the bride
and the groom to go to the church on horseback. As the
distance seldom justifies the habit, that may be taken as
another reminiscence of times when the bride was carried off by
force on her abductor's steed. In other parts again, especially
among the Wallachs, a pole with an apple on top and a white
kerchief streaming from it (<f>\dfnrovpo) is carried by a kilted
youth in front of the wedding procession.*
1 This is one of the most wide-spread songs in Modern Greek folklore.
I myself collected no fewer than six different versions in different parts of
Macedonia. There is another in the 'TpayoMta rod 'OXvfxrov,' by A. K.
OlKo*ofjU8ijs, p. 132; also one from Zakynthos in Bernhard Schmidt's Liebeslieder,
No. 67 (see also references there), and six more in Passow, Nob. 441-6. They all
agree on the main incident, though they vary widely in the setting, and equally
in diction. The above I have selected not as the best, but as being the shortest
of my MSS.
* This custom is also common among the Gipsies of Spain. " First of all
marched a villainous jockey-looking fellow, holding in his hands, uplifted,
a long pole, at the top of which fluttered in the morning air a snow-white
cambric handkerchief, emblem of the bride's purity." George Borrow, The
Zincali, Part u. Ch. vii.
Marria 178
When the procession is within sight of the church fcbe
following ^'iiL.' is rang — a kind of triumphal paean reminding
bride that her resistance was in vain :
The Boortful Partridge, 1 {From Kwp-KioL)
Mtd iriphuca watuedrjite Tov<f>€Kt &€ (f>ofi}arai.
?Ldi> t* a/cov<T€ teg 6 Kvt'rjybs tto\v rov fiapv^xivq *
Srrji'e* rd /Spo^ia \ rd f3avpd t rd 'tjoftepya \ rovs tcdfiirovs,
Utdvovv rd fjpoxia rrip&iKats, rd 'goftepya rpvywvt)*,
rovra rd fiera^card irtdvovv T17? pavpen
A jmrtridge boosted that she feared JOB*
\ that, he wua wxceediugly offended,
Ji«' Ijnetdl bit Mil "v»r tbm biltts the lime-twig» on the pliutw.
the Utne-twigB turtle-doves,
thene silken I b the black-eyed tt
/w £Ae Church and After.
At I the church the bride halts and bowa
Then the |»! n and marches up the nave.
In front of the pair is set a table with the bridal cake
and a cup of wine ttpOfl D which the priest prepares
the holy communion, istere it to the pair.
The b« the wr \\d%ovv
rd <rr£<f>ava) which in some places are woven by the bridesmaids
out of vine mants, and cotton-seed. In other — less
primitive 1 are
ded by tin beel n istly they are silver
:1k* ohui
While pod It man throws over the
brick rf brought iu th«
ben the * crowning' the bride pins buooboa of
uitain flower (xavrpo\ov\ovSo, lit, bead Mom
l Cp, P» -198. m.
1 The ' crowning ceremony * (* r i^dr^a \ him been borrowed by the tint* Urn
who. jiut mi the Ureeke, use the word " coronation" \vymckaniri m a tjnonym
for a wedii
174
Macedonian Folklore
on the guests' coats. The parents and all the guests in turn
embrace the newly-married couple, kissing them on the fore-
head and wishing them 'unbroken felicity' (oTtpe&ftiva). In
some districts these wishes take a quaint turn : H May you
live, may you grow white and old" (Na %vjot€, v dowploT€ y
vti ytjpdare), each wish being accompanied with a jump,
the villages near Mount Olympus to the above expressions
added w — like Olympus, like Kissavos" (odv top "EXvpiro oa
tov K tow a/3 a).
A bronze ewer (yKiovpu) and basin iXayiji't or Xrjya>t
%vhich form part of 1 1 1 e bride's dowry, are then produced. The
bridegroom holds the basin, and the bride the ewer, and they
both help the best man and the best woman to wash then
hands — a service which is requited with money thrown into
the basin.
The bridegroom then takes the bride by the arm, and they
march slowly and decorously homeward. The crowd which
lines the streets offers them loud congratulations. On ap-
proaching the house the bridesmaids burst into song:
L (From Thasos.)
Ttd %€/3ya t fidva tov yapLirpov teat weBepn tj)? vv<f>r)$,
N« Bt§$ to yuto o* OTavpaeTo tt} wepSt/ca irov <f>€ppet
'A'Tro 4>\ovpl &€ (f>aw€Tai tct) citto fiapyapiTfipi t
Krj drro ya\d£to Kap.irov%d Sep e^et vd Xvyiorj}
Yapmpe aficiTOT£ t a vd ff/fffl? vd yr}pdo-7)<?,
1 Yar. Kfl dwb ya\d£to Kafnrowfie iroG \dftw€i tro* rb» T)\t&.
* l For veivet blue which shines like the Ban.'*
In Rome versions two more lines are given :
0d at x&pt 1 * A™ T ** 1 yv*-6 <f , dw6 t6» dyawripivo <r f
Avrbt jmva M' <r' i\* L irXeid, teal «rt) >lh6^ &4* tq» *x ft **
(A. A. Tovaioif t * Ti Tpayw&ta riff Uarpliot povS No. 40.)
11 She will sever thee from thy son, thy beloved one:
Bl no longer calls thee mother, nor dost thou call him son!*
* Cp. the classical mode of addressing the bridegroom [rpoa^imffM)
epithalarniau songs: "OX£tt ynnfipi t rltu€ y. etc. Sapph. 50, 56; Th«
Id. xvni. 1*5, etc. The modern epithets <£&«♦ d^tutrarov etc., which are also
applied to the sponsor at a baptism and to the best man at a wedding (see
below Toasts n. p. 180), seem to be survivals of the Coronation ceremony of the
Marriage
175
Ti) vvfa} irov <i€ hmxajLie icaka va ttj fcvrrafys,
KaXn vd tt} aroXi^eaat ytarl &ev e% pyre pa.
rapwpbi; elvat fiaatXtKos k rj vv<f>7j pas tcaviXXa,
Yaftirpos ttvai jBa&tXtKas k j) vvt^t} fiavr^ovpava.
KovfiTrapos ttov crre^ai/axre elvai ftpvafj Xafiird&a.
Tj]/ccDa\ vvcf>7) jjl\ to x*P l aov Ka * Kf * P€ ™ fTavpo <rov t
Kai wepixaXei to 0eo t pa fjj to ariifiai'6 gov.
Come forth, mother of the groom and the bride's mother-in-lfta,
To see thy young eagle what a partridge he is bringing home !
She cannot he seen for gold and pearls,
She cannot bend for brocade of gold. 1
Most worthy bridegroom, mayest thou live to a great age,
The wife we have given thee, be very attentive to her,
Wfttoh tenderly over her for she has no mother.
The bridegroom is basil and our bride cinnamon,
The bridegroom is basil and the bride sweet marjoram.
The best man who held the crowns is a taper of gold.
Lift, dear bride, thy hand and make the sign of the cross,
And pray unto God that thy partner may live long !
.
II. (From Xirfiita.)
e bride's mother sings :
Wap Kvparaa <TVfxir€0€pa, ri tcato o~€ Trfffca yto,
K* iareiXes to aravpariro aov t
Kai fie *iT7}p€ to wovXi ftov,
Kai ^avoarrjv */ avXi] fiov;
Byzantine Emperors. There we find the epithet - A£<o* used in the acclamations
of the people. It is still used by the Greeks at the Consecration of Bishops,
who in many respects may be considered as representing in Turkey the old
secular heads of the Greek nation, and are popularly called by the royal t
Despot* (A«<nr6rtji)> When the congregation greet a Bishop with the cry
*Ajrd£ior» it ia time for the unpopular pastor to seek a new flock and pastures
fresh.
1 These expressions are net always to lie taken as empty hyperboles. They
often represent reality. But as every peasant cannot afford to deck out his
daughter in brocade of gold and pearls, these gorgeous articles as well as the
bridal coronnl and girdle are the property of the pariah, temporarily used on
the payment of a fee. So that even the humblest maid can boast of having
appeared for once in her life in robes fit for a queen.
176 Macedonian Folklore
O tbou fellow-mother-in-law, what harm have I done to thee,
That thou shouldst send thine eagle
To snatch away my dear bird
And to rob my courtyard of its beauty?
III. {From Liakkovikia. 1 )
Tdypa rov ya/jLirpov 17 fjuava TTep^aveverat teal Xiei*
Uepipaveverac teal Xeei* Td> 'j£G> yvcov icrj aXXo? Skv %x €l >
Tto^x* V v "> v K V &Xk°s &€V $x €l > 7® X * Kai f* 1 ^ Oir/arepa
Fa> \a) teal fMca Ovyaripa, ievrpo e^G> '9 rijv aiXrj /jlov,
Aivrpo Ij^g) \ tt)v avXrj fiov, Kinrapiaat \ rrj yawed fiov.
Hpdaiva icave 1 ra <f>vXXa, vepoyaka^a XouXovSul.
Now the groom's mother swells with pride and says :
I have a son and none else beside me {bis).
I have also a daughter (bis),
A tree in my courtyard (bis) f
A cypress in my home. 2
It brings forth green leaves and sea-blue blossoms.
The bride on reaching the bridegroom's house bows three
times low, makes the sign of the cross with butter upon the
door-post, and then steps over the threshold, right foot
foremost. 8
On entering her new home the bride sets her right foot
upon a ploughshare purposely placed inside the door. This is
obviously an emblem of plenty, but it may also have a deeper
meaning, steel in any shape or form being a notorious preserva-
tive against evil spirits.
In some parts of Macedonia she breaks upon her own head
one of the honey cakes and scatters the pieces over her shoulder
into the yard. In places where two ring-shaped cakes are used
instead, she throws the pieces of one up the stairs and those of
1 A. A. Tovalov, 'Td TpayovSta rrjs HarplSos fiov t * No. 41.
* Lit. 'my corner.' The corner by the hearth is considered as the most
important part of the house, with which it is identified and for which it is often
used as a synonym. On the sacredness attaching to the ' upper corner ' in
the Russian folk household see Ralston, Songs of the Russian People, p. 135.
8 This observance has given rise to a proverb "'Throw out thy right foot,
my bride,' ' As though I meant to stay for good ! '" ('P££e, fv<prj /x\ to 8c£L 2A*
r&X** fKO*b yd k<£t<tq) vo\vl).
Marriage
vn
the other into the yard. Some times these cakes are given bo
!i leaving her fathers root In that case sh
n entering her huuband
cake are picked up and kept b) the b)
ason already stated.
ths fool »►!' th»* staircase a ewer is banded I
ami she pours son steps a.- Dtttl tbec
j full of in her way, and she upsets it
room'* mother end the bride's father who
are uot pres wedding, 1 m while upon the
landing and threw DpOB the oOttple, as they ascend, sugar-
plums, rice, cottonseed, barley, chick-peas, and coin* which
ii bled for by the Ul manner am
ancient Greeks and Rotnanaa bride on enr r oew I
and I bloomed
showere ol m;
rh i he idea et a bargain p aa fa shown bj
d eewlj : -! to rim
The cnetoiD ran iong us is with winch the
\\ ben the pair hrn ^st step, a i
blank preed on tbi floor with i pomegranate I
The b o stand upon ft end a ml bee font
egranate is a well-kt mho! of fruitfuloe**
;[> Hebrew mid Aral.
W| the hall, the bride bowi to h. r pef*nta*in4ew 4
ED theln, utb,
they bold tO her belv etb.
r nothing hut 'worde of gold 1 will
ry rvroarkahlr that neither father nor
I tcgroom come with lb*m to church," Th* Honk of ;
■
'1, 190 Dii ntiec« fiig, £<:!. vtn. 80 apart;*, mi
: Dcmoata. USe. Pot "t; iddl and
p, Karsxi^^aro*
Off a typical lUiUoco. tec *Tho History of Prince Codailad and hu
toroti /#
JU F. 12
178 Macedonian Folklore
pass between them. Then she salutes all the guests, great and
small, who also give her presents in money.
When all the guests have partaken of refreshments
(fcepdafiaTa), the priest reads aloud the inventory of the
trousseau, which is then ratified by him and the bridegroom,
and witnessed by some of those present. It is subsequently
handed to the bride's father who keeps it carefully, so that in
the event of his daughters premature death, he may claim
back the dowry. Thus these practical peasants, while intent on
symbolism and allegorical ceremonial, do not lose sight of the
prosaic realities of life.
The bride's kinsmen then offer to the bridegroom a cock,
accompany her parents home with music, and amuse them-
selves there till evening.
The bride is shown into a room by an elderly female relative
and is made to sit on a chair placed for her in a corner by her
sisters-in-law. As she is sedately strutting to that corner, one
of the latter holds over her head a loaf of bread with a salt-cellar
on the top of it. She is surrounded by the best woman and
other female friends, and they all feast and sing songs together,
while the bridegroom and his comrades make merry in the hall
outside, and often become so elevated that they must needs
express their joy in the form of broken crockery.
In the midst of this uproar someone rushes downstairs,
catches the biggest cock in the yard and whirls it round twice.
Then he flings it off and they all run after it.
During this banquet many songs are sung :
I. (From Socho8.)
Nek <f>dfM€ vet 7rcovfjL€ v dvdyfr 6 X°P°*'
Na irovfie vii fya 17 vv<fyi? Krj 6 ya/jLirpos.
"Let's eat and drink and shake the room,
And wish long life to bride and groom."
II. (From Salonica.)
Mapyaptrap* elv 6 yafiirpo? teal paXafia 17 vv<f>rj t
Ki? oVoto? toi/9 e<TT€(f>dva)a€ ttoWA yjpovia va &j<rr).
" A pearl the groom, and golden is the bride ;
Who held the crowns, long he on earth abide."
Marriage 179
After the banquet, late in the afternoon, the guests go out
with the band and set up a dance in the village 'middle space/
leaving the bridegroom to enjoy his bride's society in the
company of her elderly chaperone.
Wedding Banquet*.
In the evening a dinner is given at which the bride assists
veiled. The guests drink different toasts of which the following
are characteristic examples :
I. To the newly married couple.
Na £rj<rovv, arepeapAva, ircuna ridoia va%ovp, Xiyo tcpaci
teal ttoWt) dydirrj.
"May they live long, secure; may they ever be engaged in feasting:
little wine and much love ! "
II. To the beet man and the beet woman.
Udvra ££109 6 KaXtfrara^ k r\ KaXtffidva.
" Everlasting honour to them."
III. To the priest
K' et? rd Upoiraibia era 9.
" Same luck to your holy children."
IV. To lay guests.
K' 6*9 t* dpyovrorraiSia <r«9-
" Same luck to your princely children."
V. To the host's family.
"Ova Kap4><marrf^aTa '9 rov Bap&apiov rov tcdfiwo, roc a
tca\d vd 8oSo~* 6 0€O9 *9 to cirlr irov rparfvhovp*.
" As many as are the nail-prints on the plain of the Vaidar, even so
many blessings may God bestow upon the house within which we are
singing."
12—2
180 Macedonian Folklore
The bride pours out wine for the guests, while they sing :
I. {From Kiup-Kioi.)
" TlepurrepovSd fi !pop<f>T) /ecu ^afiarfhrj rpvywva,
*2 iikop top Koafiov fjfiepy Ve fUva fjp6e<; aypia.
'Pt'fe T171/ cvypioavvr) aov k eka teddov '9 to yova /jl\
Na fi€ /cepvqs yXvtco Kpacrl teal <rv va Xdfnrg? peaa,
Na Xdfurys adv top rfkvo y vd Xdfnry? adv to <f>eyydpi,"
"11(39 vapOco, ftpe XefJivrrj pov, avpio da £7179 o£a>,
v O£a> \ rd TraWrj Kaput koX 6a iraivTjdjjs /jLirpoara toi/9*
Kotctcivo xetXi <f>iXrjaa k e/3a\fr€ ro Sitco pav,
Me to pavrrfkl fi a<f>ovyyia0Ka k efiayfr to pairrqXavhi p
2e Tpia TroTafiia TchrXvva k efiayfrav tcl TTOTafita
Tpia irep' arepovSca tcovrj-sfrav k effayfrav tcl vvxovSia tV"
"My pretty pigeon, my low-flying turtle-dove,
To all the world tame, to me thou hast come wild.
Cast off thy wildness and come and sit on my knee.
Pour me out a cup of sweet wine and shine thou in it,
Shine like the sun, shine like the moon."
"How can I come, my gallant youth? to-morrow, methinks, thou
wilt go forth
Among thy comrades, and amongst them thou wilt boast :
I have kissed a pair of red lips and mine became red ;
I dried them on my handkerchief, and my little handkerchief became
red,
I washed it in three streams and the streams became red,
Three little doves alighted there, and their little claws also became red." *
II. (From Liakkovikia.*)
"'A<f>€PTTj fjiov, \ rt) TpaTrega BeXto va ere ti/jltjcw,
Na <T€ Teniae* ^ayapi) fwcr%o, ica\ tcapo<f>vX\i.
Va atTTpa vat, 9 rov ovpavo koI 91/W airav 9 ra oevrpa
Tocra icaXd vd 8<b<r 6 Oeo? '9 t* d<f>4vrr) to Tpairefy."
""Oct ciaTpd Va* \ tov ovpavo /cal <f>uXX* dwdv \ Ta SevTpa
Toe' dairpa gcoSesfra eya>, drydirf) fi\ vd ae irdpco"
1 With this conceit cp. Tb aiaffryio* (1. 11 foil.) in E. Legrand, Recueil de
Chansons Populaires Qrecques, p. 222.
* A. A. Tovalov, « Td TpayoOSta rrjt Uarpldos /tow,' No. 84.
Mania 181
11 ^ev TtSfjcpa, d$ivri) fiov, -Trwc fftj$n/rec. yia pera,
Na yiva yfjs va fit 7raTa«?, yetfavpi va 6iaj3aur}<;,
Na yh'ta ^pu<T0Tpfi7T€fa pnrpoa- a <7ot/ f
/era* x^pwoTTQ-tripo fii to Kpatrl y*p,&TO t
'Ecv va irlpjfi to Kpaai nt) *7<w *'•? \*i/i7re> /ti€Va."
i wilt) to hoc at this board.
As many as are the stars in tho the leavi-
trees,
So many blowings tnay 0©d bestow on my lard's boai
Groom: M As many as are the star* in the sky, and the leave-
trees,
BO ves have 1 ^»nt, my
w it not, my lord, that r me,
Qr l would have become ejirth for thee to tread uj
bridge for thee to ]iasa over,
I wi jp,
1 would have becoi Idton goblet tilled wii
i niayat drink from it and I ohine n
to tins way t! e themselves
are I ible musicians I Th« guarta i
again rise from tabh v on tin toads
and pledge them with bump
Cooking and eating continue all night pr l\ end
alten i that no mm b reeaoo to ooinpfaun that
pot «^tt tn»ii sire of meat
and drink* 1 But in • em of ih- ifter the
i banqur* ; tin- bride'fl nil \eswitb his own
gue£< tOM The bridegroom s at
the end of tin- o in the beat naan holding him bj
right haul while he clasps hi* brid with l\
kl it the IK ' folk ideas. Op. the following note
from Si ndeKroom sometimes consider* »t lii» duty to profeea thai
he eonsfidsrv Uis job s very dear one— not particularly complimentary to the
bride— and onoe s man took the trouble to pay mj fee ei
•ir penny piece* . which was, I euppoer, a v*rv good joke , <h so,
howev line hud hie (cv paid in coppers." VU( Hook oj
I>ayt, vol. L p. 7 '2 3. U this a lurviTal from the times when a bride was
purchased In real earnest?
182 Macedonian Folklore
Next after the bride comes the best woman, and then follow
the bridegroom's kinswomen in due order. Another chain,
formed by the bride's female relatives, winds its way behind
the bridegroom's ranks. The dance is a mere matter of form
and ceases after the third round. The new-comers help them-
selves to refreshments, and then depart. When the majority
of the guests have gone, the bride takes off her veil, and
remains with the flowers and gold threads on her head. To-
wards morning they all leave, and the band accompanies the
best man and his female colleague home.
After the Feast.
On Monday morning the bride enters upon her new duties
of housekeeper in a manner that emphasizes the state of
mild servitude, which is the peasant wife's lot in Macedonia.
She begins by helping all the members of her husband's family
in their matutinal ablutions (plsfrifio), then kisses their hands
respectfully and prepares their breakfast. They, in their turn,
give her presents. Later in the day she distributes her bridal
threads of gold among the little girls of the neighbourhood.
About noon her nearest relatives call, the bridegroom's
return the visit, and thence go to the best man's. The band
of groomsmen, with music, first call on the bride's parents, then
on the best man and subsequently on the other guests, who
are invited to another banquet. But they each have to con-
tribute their shares, chiefly a pie (irouydTa-a), a tray of roast
meat, and a flagon of wine. These dishes and drinks are borne
to the bridegroom's house by the youths with much solemnity
and music. The best man is expected to contribute a larger
share than anyone else, and he generally sends a lamb roasted
whole, and a jar of wine. In the evening the banquet is spread,
and all the remnants of it are given to the poor.
After dinner an invitation is sent to the bride's relatives to
come and dance with her. The feast lasts through the am-
brosial night, and the guests do not depart until long after the
rosy-fingered Morn has spread her saffron-veil over the village
housetops.
Marrtufft
183
In some places a curious ewtom is observed on this di
cook, who supei the culinary department of the
is at the lw nl with a huge ladle hai>
from bifl girdle swon
the bride'* old bOflto M d moth*
■ <\ alarm hide away their goods atnJ chattel*,
refuge on the 1" But &h<
A brawl euam I last the
old ooirpii i and suspended from ti. They
f» tu uffei fowls, watt and the lik<
■ ransom. But they are n«»t lot down until the ooofc is sati
Thi> ■ of th»' distant ages
Whei i tu can
* h\ Tuesday morning the bride presents each of the musid
with a kerchief, and
rotativee assemble
belp ber mai ^h milk and li behind
n tahir U idle Of t h* ball and |fl she DMlildfl t;
the reals pause to cut it
with coins. When tl»«' sake in proeesi
with nam i public In the i hed
boms in tjke tmuiii-'i'. and ar.
second best |
by two of bdf husband '-
i mother and mother-in-law, repairs I Hage
She oaniei thither a new j.it : upon a
gorg* ^ shoulder and held with
hand bent overhead, <«r. iu some districts, two bn
Ra Similar vessels are borne bjf her companions, and the
proet not unlil m <«ld < h
vase: one of those living pictures which are as comnmn in
verc in the time
of Apello Into these vessels are throv, ^ or
»t and be oh are I \n\ oo(
be presiding nymph.
vessels are washed, tilled with water, and
the antennae od the house. Tl - repeated thrice at tb
diff< iktaius in succession
184 Macedonian Folklore
On Thursday the bride " is churched " (i/c/ckTjacd&rai), that
is, she attends divine service for the first time in her new
capacity as a married woman. Early in the morning married
relatives escort her to church (fiydfavp rrj pv<j>r) \ rrjv iic-
tckrjaid), and after matins accompany her back home, where
refreshments are served.
On Friday evening she goes to her mother s home and has
her hair washed by her with water medicated with yellow
flowers and walnut leaves, purposely gathered and dried. The
bridegroom joins her later, and the newly-wedded pair stay to
dinner and remain there till Sunday. This visit is termed a
' Return ' or ' Counter- Wedding ' (imarpofyui, m<jrpo$Licia y
airoyvpurfia, or dvrvyafios). On Sunday, at midday, they are
fetched back by the bridegroom's father and closest relatives
of both sexes.
Eight days after the same ceremony takes place at the best
man's, where a banquet is spread, songs are sung, and gifts
exchanged. This is the conclusion of the Macedonian peasant's
marriage festival. In many of its details it bears a strong
analogy to the Albanian wedding, 1 and on the whole differs
little from the corresponding customs prevalent in Southern
Greece. 2
Songs sung at the 'Return' Banquets.
I. 'O <j>v\aKi<rfiivo$ k ff HaaiXoTTOvKa.
(From Eleutheroupolis).
'2 rtf fjpvat, 7rrjya ycd vepo, tepvo vepo vd irdpoy
hapeid d&LKia ft eftyaXav 7tq>9 <f>i\rj<ra tcopdcru
Ma ya> fiavpos be rwgepa 9 tcL fiana be ro eiba.
'£ rtf (pvXatcr) fie pi^ave Bed rpidvra fie pais
Kat irapairkaav rd xXeiSla, tcavco rpidvra yjpbvia,
1 See descriptions of the latter in Hahn, Albanesische Studien, and in
Auguste Dozon, Conies Albanais, pp. 189 foil.
9 A short sketch of the Thessalian folk marriage is given in Songs of
Modern Greece, pp. 90 foil. See also Bennell Rodd, The Customs and Lore
of Modern Greece , ch. iii., and cp. ' Marriage Superstitions and Customs ' in The
Book of Days, vol. 1. pp. 719 foil.
Marriage
185
K* etcapa Trrjxeq ra p,aXXtd Kai irtOapaU Ta pv%ta.
A€<f>TO/capidv€ eawetpa f t% <f>vXaKr)$ rff iropra
Kai \€<f>TQtcripva e<f>aya pA Xevrepia &iv et£a.
Mot? fUa Xa^irpr]. p,id KvptaKt], fUa ^WuTiffir) t}p,ipa t
ftvprjffrjtca t a jtov Kai tw) iraWrfKapui p<
Kr/ apxivrjaa pa Tpayou$Q> \ tt)? $v\a/cfj<i rn wop'
Wa&iXoTrovXa fi a/couaev drro yffqXo TraXart'
" llcuov elp* avrbs ttov rpayovBu \ Tije <f>v\atctf$ rq mpra ;
TOP X a P^ C ***>&* \ r '7"" t^al ©VtfttTTtrTC ttlHTTpa"
OiXra % y& t« Wfd JgttyNO, ovrt ra 8iKa7T€PTi Kacrpa,
0eXa> to KQppaKi T7?<? pa to a$t-)(TayKaXtd&my
■r and the Princess.
I went to the fountain, to draw cooj water.
They brought against me a heavy charge : that I kissed a maid, forsooth.
I, the haploaM one, knew her not, ha oen her with ray eye*.
But the keys w«n f years. 1
hair grew yard-Ion ■.-. in -lung.
I planted a hasel-tre© il | ites,
1 tasted hazels therefrom, yet freedom 1 tasted ftfil
on a Bright J' Day,
I l«*th.«ti^ht me of wy jwmt uful prowess,
And I began to aiug at the prison gates.
A Princess beard me IV.
htf that sing* at ' D gates!
1 will gr,« villages and fifteen castles/ 1
-I for thy fifteen castJea,
But I wi*b fur thy be M anna!°
II. *H icatto7raprp€^irq,
(From I
\1 iyi pL fit lTp€yft€<i Ka\ ft ££o>*€C *S TOUV fCti^TTOV^.
*lvyoj e. to tctifui it fSaart&t ptpo f«0To oV irt'i'w,
*ES<a rpvyopta &* XoXovp n oi kovkkoi oV* to Xeyot/p,
To Xi'p oi QXa-^oi \ ro ttfovvo, to XcV cap fiupioXoyt'
1 With the incident of the lost keys and oontequ* I :.>mk>n nation of
ntuons r<jpulairt§ Grrcque* t No. 145,
the opening lined.
186
Macedonian Folklore
" riofov €% avrpa V t/} geviretd, ptKpa watBtd *f r<t ft
lie? ra*<? va /wji' tqus tcaprepovv, va flip rovs irtpt^vovi'
^Sijvra fcapa(3ta BovXta^at' *f r>/<? rinXn? ret \i7rovya%ta
Vt&jfAwa if Od\a<rcra wavta, tc y aicpais iraWrffcdpta.
KXatyovv /} fxaitai*; yta 7raiSifi tc rj ^patc yid tovs aprpes'
The Unhappy Brid&
ICothflT mine, thou hast wedded me ill, in giving ON away to the lowl
I cannot bear the heat, warm water I cannot drink.
Here are do ■fog ing turtle-doves, the cuckoo b not heard here,
The shepherds sing on the hills, they sing a mournful lay :
"Who have husbands abroad, little children in foreign parts,
Tell them to expect them not, to wait t'*>r them no more:
Sixty ships have sunk in the Straits 1 of the Great C&1
The sea is covered with rent sails ami the ahotm with the dead swain-.
Mothers weep for their children, and widows fox their husbands,'*
Adopted Bmth,
In some districts of Macedonia the bridegroom's oon
who play so important a rule throughout the marriage
tivities, arc his c adopted brothers 1 ((ISeptpoTratToi, o-ravpaSeptpoL
fl\rjp,t&€$, or fiTrpdrtfiot). The custom of forming Gral
friendships, once rery oommoQ in the Balkan Peninsula, is nov
dying out; but in some parts it is still kept up. A Dlimbei
youths cuter into a solemn compact to aid each other in all
circumstances even unto death. The relationship thus rmi-
tracted is more sacred than natural kinship. Nor is it conniu'il
to one sex. Three or four * brothers' sometimes agree to take
an orphan girl and adopt her as their * sister* {fATrparpivaY
The ceremony takes place in the church. The parish p
sanctifies the compact by administering the sacrament to them
and binding them together with a blessed or * holy belt' (dyia
1 The Bosphorua.
2 Constantinople, It is interesting to recall that these are the straits
dreaded by the ancient mariner as the site of the Jnsthng Rocks (ai Sip-
ir\rjyd5a), which, according to the fable, closed on all who sailed between them
on their way to the Inhospitable Sea. In historic times there stood on the
Asiatic shore a temple dedicated to Zeus Ourios or * Giver of fair winds,' in
which voyagers to the Black Sea were wont to register their vows.
gtovq) wound round their waists. The damsel henceforth looirj
upon the youths as her brothers, washes their clothes for them,
and ministers to their comforts, while they, on their part, are
bound by their vow to protect ht?r and finally to contribute
towards her settlement in marriage.
The name fiirpdrtpos is of Slav origin + The same custom
prevails among the Albanian tribe of the Mirdites, where the
eeremo&J of initiation is practically the same. 1 The n
given to the 'brothers' in Albania is pulmitiuK the same as
among the Servians. 2
Right and Left.
In treating of the superstitions concerning Birth, we have
noticed that the favourites of Fate are believed to have been
blessed in infancy with her right hand, and the unfortunate
ones with her left. In the wedding ceremony also, the bride
is bound to enter her husband's dwelling right foot foremost
for luck. These are only two of a great number of examples
of the widespread association of ideas which connects right and
bft with good and evil respectively. Further instances abound
among the Macedonians, at well as other members of the Greek
race. " May things turn out right " {afiwore vapBovv Sef mi) is a
OOl&man wish. The Holy Virgin is sometimes worshipped under
the name of ' Right-handed' (Wavayla Aefta or Aefa), and is
depicted carrying the Child in her right arm. To her are
offererl up prayers by all those who are about to embark on
I a new enterprise, tt that she may conduct it to ;t right, that is,
auspicious issue " (yta ya p,a<; to 4>£prf Seftri).
The idea was extremely common among the ancient Greeks,
as the use of the words 'right' (Sefto?) and 'left' (ancato^) in the
sense of * lucky' and 'unlucky 1 shows. A bird was "of good
on i en M if it flew on the right, that is from the East, the reverse
if it flew from the left. Wine and lots were handed round
from left to right (evSegta), and a beggar begging round a table
1 Tozer, Rc*earche$ in the Highland* of Turkey, vol. i. pp. 309 foil.
* Among tlie Slavs of tlie North, this "rauturtl brotherhood by adoption " \z
known aa pobratim*tvo. See IiaJston, Song* of the Ruttian People t p. 217.
188 Macedonian Folklore
ought to move from left to right. 1 Among the Romans similar
ideas prevailed, dexter and laevus* being the equivalents for
' propitious ' and the opposite.
The same idea is found underlying the Celtic folk-belief in
Deiseal, that is, doing everything with a motion from left to
right, 8 and the German rechtshin. Moreover, German folk-lore
contains a rule forbidding getting out of bed left foot first, as
of ill omen 4 — a superstition likewise expressed in the English
phrase "getting out of bed wrong foot foremost," and still
entertained in many parts of the English-speaking world. 6
In addition to classical and modern civilized nations, as
might be expected, we meet with the same idea among savage
races. Like the ancient Greek and Roman augurs, the modern
savage interprets the flight of birds as boding good or evil,
according as it is on his right or left. 6
Other superstitions connected with marriage.
It is not good to sit on the door-step, or the match-maker,
who may perchance be coming, will turn back.
A newly-wedded woman is not allowed to sweep the floor
of her house during the first week, lest she should "sweep
members of her husband's family out of this world" — an idea
derived from symbolic magic.
She is also forbidden to look upon a corpse, or to assist
at a wedding. The first act, it is believed, will bring death
into her own household ; the second will cause separation, by
death or divorce to the pair who are just joined in the bonds
of matrimony.
Rain during a wedding is considered a good omen : it bodes
prosperity and fertility on the principals of the ceremony. It
1 Horn. //. i. 597; vn. 184; Od. xvn. 365.
3 This Latin word survives in Western Macedonia. At Shatista they call a
left-handed person Xi&fios.
3 J. G. Campbell, Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland,
p. 229.
4 Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 85.
8 Memoirs of the American Folk-Lore Society, vol. rv. p. 85.
6 Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 120.
Marric
h ft like intent that the bride is made to overturn a vessel
containing wi inkle the stairs, on >
as has b already, But in some
rict» 4 it it rains during the ceremony, it is (aid iha
bride is in the habit of crying' or that the n»
in thai ohil ■ lick the frying-pan i>$av
Days.
Tin* world-old ai >wn
/xt-/>aiai»
I -ma, Indeed, nearly til die
days of I >ad lor
pation en
of their badness.
M file mu>
miilfl on this da;. 1
Not b it tdviaabli to | will
tUTCptOl'OUp).
Tu6$ddtf, as a i
It is unlucky to (Bake puirha-ses on a Tu< ally
to \> dress- bridal gown — is
or jouri ed upon.
Il-luek attending this da.
being due to \h*' ta< 11 on a 1
> Itft, »* U it muiM on i lui Uridff will cry nil her
niam-
taken by tlif» Turk* on
May iWth. Phttd day of the wrek. The event if eonunem
in tho following old ballad :
I <tTQ$ rot> Kv*<rrarTirov Ipiyafrj,
*2 ra xAui r*rp**6ffta *»i* *f ra ro-^ra rpJe,
1 1 in ^ T^irp, rotf Mait>t' \ rim tr«oei Irr/a,
•<tr at ' SfopypQl r^r Ku>nrrarn#o» rA»».
In the year one thousand four handird and fifty three,
On a Tueaday, th
•on§ of Hogar took Conatanttna'* City.
£. L*grai)<t
CHAPTER XII.
FUNERAL RITES.
In the funeral rites of the modern Macedonians can still be
discerned vestiges of primitive ideas concerning death, and the
state of the soul after death. These beliefs and practices may
be said to connect the present with the past, on one hand,
and the remnants of an ancient civilization with contemporary
savagery, on the other. Many popular observances, which are
here kept up as mere matters of traditional ceremonial, find
their true interpretation in like observances among races in
a lower stage of culture. It is only by investigating the latter
that we are enabled to recover the half-forgotten meaning of
the former. In other words, what in Macedonia are but the
lifeless fossils of old superstition, embedded in the new religion,
can, by comparison with analogous specimens still living else-
where, be reconstructed into something resembling their original
forms.
The operation, however, is far from being an easy one,
and it is rendered all the more difficult by the multitude and
diversity of the extraneous elements, which in the course of ages
have accumulated round these remnants, have been assimilated
by them, and have often disguised them to a degree which
defies all attempts at analysis and classification. As will be
seen, some of the ceremonies described in the sequel are a
continuation of Hellenic or Roman ritual, but slightly affected
by Christianity ; others can be connected with the practices of
the Slav populations who, on being admitted into the com-
munion of the Greek Church, retained a great deal of their
Ft tut ml Ritrs
193
pagan forms of belief and helped to modify classic tradition — a
process facilitated by the close similarity of their own early
culture with that of the early Greeks and Romans, Yet, both
class- >iiionies, whether directly traceable to a «
to a Slavonic origin, bear a strong likeness to ceremonies in
vogue among races with which nntln r the civilized Hellene
nor the bomd] Slav I contact.
It in pi mi of view that an attempt can
be made to establish the relation of Macedonian belief and
»nj to savage culture, and thus assign to the former th^ir
proper place in the field of universal folkl-
The lying in
pn
After emit". .1 abaolutdoo, rhe dying partakes of the
sacrament. W ung his last, or, to use the local
phrase, when * his son tki&g mil • >! lus mouth M (fiyaivei
4 ^Xti rov or irvxoppayei 1 }, only one or two of the nearest
iatives are allow main by the bedside. Upon them
devolves the dn ami mouth >t the deceased.
As soon as the latter has given up the ^host, the face
spnnkle«i with a I <-otton wuol KMfad in VIM — a
dwindled remnant of the ancient custom of washing the body.
ii arrayed in his best clothes or in a biaml new dress
(AX4£bifl» top trtdapimX If he is betrothed or newly married,
the vredding imatfa is placed on his head. In the case of
young Porno and children, tbeir heads are crowned with
flowers, and flowers, mixed with sugar-plums, are
v<l | penny
QglM or in the lap of i
* Cp. the idi<»iu n* ti yv\H "i ri Mrria, u with the soul MiMO one'e teeth/*
• lm at uuu'n last gaep 1 J: - in MM p| the many popular iiproemoni lo
be found in to the prevalent idea that the eoul
ai death escat* * i fubject see J. 6. Fmx.
Golden BquqK yoL t. ; mav I* iuUfrffcting to noU« here that in Modem
Greek the word yfwxn ♦**ouT t in often aeed by the ignorant to denote that
we call M ■tornacb " ; for inatanoe, * Greek will «ay pA wtvtl i $\%y and
\n hand* over hit clomaoh in a manner which ihowi that hit eiiih
not of a epi ritual nature* Henoe ^vxeewet =» *oiX6ro*of.
13
194 Macedonian Folklore
This is, of course, a survival of the Hellenic custom of
providing the dead with the ferry-boat fee, and has no direct
relationship with the similar practice of Western peasants.
The money offerings to the dead in Germany, France, and
other parts of Europe are intended to furnish the spirit of the
departed with the means of buying refreshments on his weary
journey. 1
Thus arrayed and provided for, the corpse is laid out facing
East — the head and shoulders resting upon a cushion, the hands
folded upon the breast — and is covered over with a winding
sheet or shroud (aafiavov). Three candles are lit, two at the
head and one at the feet. All these duties are usually per-
formed by the nearest female relatives and not by paid strangers,
except when unavoidable. The same relatives also watch and
bewail the dead. The body is especially watched lest a cat
should jump over it, and that for a reason to be explained later.
The laments or dirges (fivpcoXoyta) in some cases are im-
provised by the mother, wife, or sisters of the deceased; in
others, they are sung by professional waiters (fivpioKoyio-Tpais),
who make a business of composing or committing to memory
suitable songs, and are paid for their mournful labour in food,
rarely in money. In the majority of cases it is some old
woman, who has witnessed many a funeral in her own family
and has, by bitter experience, acquired the gift of fluency, who
volunteers to sing the dirge. If the deceased is a youth or
damsel, the laments are sung by young maidens. But in ail
cases the best of the wailers, or the most nearly related to the
deceased, leads the dirge, in which the other women join with
a refrain ending in exclamations of ah ! ah !
It is almost superfluous to refer for parallel cases to the
0pT)v<p8ol of the ancient Greeks and the praeficae of the Romans.
Tet anyone who has assisted at the funeral lamentations of the
modern Greeks, whether in Macedonia or in Greece proper,
cannot but have recalled to mind the pathetic picture of the
Trojan women wailing over the body of Hector.* The very
1 Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 494.
* II xxnr. 720 folL
Funeral RUe%
195
words used by Homer r >h< ted I ") are illtnv
trated in a forcible manner by these modem performances. 1
The following song is perhaps the most wide-spread of all
traditional dirges. In my wanderings through Mao
I four dirt Ifelenik, Nigrite, Kuzani.
and the island of Tha alj.
I give below o tranBlati if tl f»ich
bear- pabliahed i
All the mothers were sending off their total to pfOO]
pi one mother, a bad mother, Yatiuitf not
Sin* sat at th- md uttered bitter curses:
rejgc l:\n.K Vjimii, .if ul iiihv-' |«K retOBQ home!
onie back year after jeer,
But thou, ! hJBt (li.ni ii.wr appear, never return home!"
"Hush, my dear mother, hush! emu thou H
There will nome rw or, the Feast of St George, tl
day of t.
And thoil wilt got hi)' AOUttr, to church, thou wilt go to worship,
ad I I wilt see maid*, thou wilt see youths thou wilt see the
gallant lad*,
rbota wilt see my own place empty am! my ctal] tenantleem,
And * • be seized with remorse and shame of the world ;
Thou wilt take thy w,< -da,
ilt dOJOTMld, ami of the MtBMB thou wilt ask;
*0 ■ k*
M seen m my right noble Ml
'Lady eon,
ij hi* Im*1\ ; what was i
•Ho was tall iod standi powa,
r Im> wore a betrothal ring T
saw him, asohod upon the sand.
POVld him Wat white birds circled n\er him.
stjvbferd pentad tod w, k ,
f ; perchance he luui a wife ! ' *
1 Profai pl/mtMa) are alao employed by
he Hu»*iaii*, *w\ thru* funeral wailiiitfH {Zaplarhk*) bear a strong analogy to
ifc m,p(i)o\frtM. See Ralston, Song* oj Ih* Jtmuan I tU (oil.
taS Bernhard 8chmi.ii from the Ionian lilande); Paasow,
Sos. 8«— 3451; Chamuolht, Ro, W No* 196;
do Cfaiwow i*opuiairts Grr 123, etc,
13—2
196 Macedonian Folklore
II. {From Cavalla})
Mid pAva fjLVpioXoyae ycd top p.opdtcpi/36 tw
" HacbaKL fJLOV TOP 7T0V0 GOV KCLl 7T0V VOL TOP € pit; CO ;
Na top ipi%a> '9 to ifiovpo top iraippovp to, ttovXclkul,
Na top ipi^co '9 top yia\6 top Tpdyyovp Td yjrapd/cia,
Na top iplgco hiGTparo Od top irarovv SiafiaTais.
"A9 top ipc^o) '9 Ttf tcapSid iroipai yefiaTtj ttopovs,
Na tcaBovyucu cap ae irouA, pd y&ppw adp jjlc o-<f>d£g t
SaV 7T€<f)T(0 '9 to 7Tp0<7tC€<f)a\0 pd Xayrapo) TOP V7TP0."
K17 6 Xapo9 'TTTjXoyTjffrjKe, ktj 6 Xa/909 'irrjkoyaTaf
""OXop top tcoa/jio yvpiaa, ttj 7179, t}jp ol/covpApTj
K' elSa pavdhes '9 top ytcprjfjipo, elS' dZep<f>al<; '9 top jSpdj^o,
TvpaiKes t&p koX&p dprp&p '9 Tr/p dtcptf '9 Ta Trordfita.
Ma 7raXt ^avairkpaaa avpdprrjfia tov yjpopov,
K' elBa fiavdSe? '9 top X°P°> € *& % dSep<f)al<; \ top yd/io,
Tvpcuk€$ t&p ica\&p aPTp&p \ ra '/j,op<f>a iraprjyvpia."
Mardfcia irov Sep yXeiroPTai yXrjyopa XrjapLOPOvvTac.
The Mothers lament,
A mother was lamenting her only son:
" My darling child, my grief for thee where shall I cast it ?
If I cast it on the mountains, the little birds will pick it,
If I cast it into the sea, the little fishes will eat it,
If I cast it on the highway, the passers-by will trample it under foot.
Oh, let me cast it into my own heart which swells with many sorrows,
Let me sit down with my pain, lay me down with my pangs,
And, when I rest my head upon my pillow, pine for sleep ! "
Death made answer to her, Death answered thus:
"Over the world have I wandered, over the universal earth;
I have seen mothers on the brink of the precipice, sisters on the edge of
the rock,
And wives of brave men on the margin of the stream.
Yet once more I went that way, in the course of the meeting years,
1 This dirge was dictated to me by M. J. Constantinides of that town, a
gentleman well-versed in folklore and himself a poet of merit. He described it
as of Epirotic origin.
197
And )o I I beheld the mothers in the dance, the aiatera in the wedding-
e*t,
And the wives of brave men in th«> m»rry fairs."
Eym which are not aeen are soon forgotten. 1
These I dso repeated ruuud the grave before the
coffin ia lowered into it.
The funeral
The corpse is uever kept for more than tW< ir hoars,
mid seldom even io long. As t general rule I ral takes
place On the day after death. At the momeut when the ooffis
is carried rat of the house, hbe women break forth into loud
- {geifxovdyfiaTaX Those amongst them who b
Btlj lost a relative bid lb ed bear greetings
{xmpiTiifuiTa) and affectionate RMeiBget to their friend io the
other world. Some of tin in alio tbl nple, or a qn
or 8<»i r kind of frmt, I" be feet of the dead. This
n.iv be regarded either in the light of an offering to the
a as fbod on the way to Hades, 01 ae ■ gift
committed to bu care and mount bt & relative who pre
him Mti I .used are
In and b ith the b
such as ii child's playthings, a yoi lai's books
01 u maiden's I
and hardly to the
n ivrs, what is the mothre which prom]
[f 1 by rtaodar m qoeadooad, he will most
plain Uiena m befitting tribute* of affection, or as the
results of custom handed down ti "in "«■.■
ns, it is not unprofitable to compare thooc with
similar 1 an adequate
motive can still be assign* 1 to tl Both the messages
and the offerings daEvefwd to tfai II known among
wages, T) <• pie, are in the habit
'jding dmh dead by the dying, while the
1 Thill tefiw U ft pojmliir prvmb, corresponding to our own "Out of
out of mind.*' the French " Loin dc« jeui, loin da eoair
198 Macedonian Folklore
offering of fruit and other articles figures in the funerals of
innumerable nations. In many cases these offerings can be
proved to be the outcome of a widely-held belief according to
which objects considered by civilized man as inanimate are by
the savage and barbaric mind endowed with a soul which, on
the dissolution of the objects in question, either by fire or by
the decomposing influence of the earth, is set free and at the
disposal of the disembodied spirit. This belief is again con-
nected with the similar, and to the ordinary European more
intelligible, superstition which is responsible for the sanguinary-
sacrifices of human beings and animals, prevailing in ancient
times among the Greeks, as is shown by Homers description of
the burial of Patroklos 1 ; among the Thracians, who slaughtered
the favourite wife of the deceased over his tomb 2 ; among the
Gauls, Scandinavians, and Slavs; and in more recent times
among the nations of America and Eastern Asia, especially
India, where it assumed the well-known form of widow -burning;
a practice which is still carried on by the aborigines of Africa
and elsewhere 8
How closely the kindly ceremonies of the modern Mace-
donians are related to these ferocious funeral rites, and how
far they owe their origin to a long- forgotten doctrine of object
phantoms, it is too late in the day to establish with certainty.
Yet one thing can safely be asserted, namely, that they are
based on beliefs never taught or countenanced by the Christian
Church.
When the coffin is borne out of the house, an earthenware
vessel, or a tile, is thrown and smashed after it. With this
practice may be compared the custom of the Russian Chuwashes
who " fling a red-hot stone after the corpse is carried out, for
an obstacle to bar the soul from coming back," and of the
Brandenburg peasants who "pour out a pail of water at the
door after the coffin to prevent the ghost from walking." 4 A
still closer parallel is to be met with in parts of Russia, where
"after a man's body has left the house his widow takes a new
1 II. xxm. 170 foil * Hdt. v. 5.
* T.vlor, Primitive Culture, vol. i. pp. 458 foil.
4 lb. vol. ii. pp. 26, 27.
Funeral Rites
199
ditcher and breaks it to pieces on the earth, atid afterwards
ifrouncl traversal by the fatter*] proces-
'"' In all these ins' he object is to preve&i the
departed spirit from returning to its earthly habitation, and
we should not be Tar wrong in ascribing a like motive bo
timers.
The funeral | n oflbre little (bod Cor speculation.
Yet it ia not devoid of mt.-ivM The ; un-
covered, a GUI .id to be due to ;u» old decree of the
Turkish Government^ iasued in order to pn wwat the nlindaofcinf
tranM of amis ;iud ammunition in a oloM but
explautt! ;mprubable by the fart that the
same custom pin d Russia, where the decrees >>i
Turki-h Qovenii nld l>e of little avail. stom
probably 'dates from Byzantiie , it QOl from older, tit
The appeal corpse is the subject of reverent
conn in nl oo th« The beauty and
I dead youth or maid call forth the ill-suppressed
Imiratiou ol wd, and one often hears such remarks as
r e Ion ly, or wiiat a gentle relic!" <t* mpalo, or rl o/±*"po
Xti^ain red in awartntdi cation of
► reek is. h not unfrv^m mly
cbei ■.. uperstitious fear It is popularly believed that if
a 001 n ■ rattle* it is a sign that it will " draw after it
another rpat^^ij kjj aXXop)
Ar on maid th.' lid,
bolding it upright and followed bj boyi tag bronze candle*
rnvuXia), with buruing ti . and six-winged
images of the cherubim {^e^ripta^ ^airrtpuya). !L
the priests and ohantaci witti lit kapen in Am banda, singing
tin* funeral * Tin QOffifl m> of b
1 Kalirton, Sony* of the ii'uiiMn People, p. 818*
iffolk ■ if * corpse doe* not »tifl«i after death, or if the
' mortt$ die«ppe*n betotw blHftl, it is a aign that there will be a 4citth in the
i-iiii of the yeur n. p, 53. The uoie
tuper nn, Bk. T.
in Vmeriea Abo "if ft eorpa* remain* toft and ■tippl* n f t*r i tenth,
Another cf«ftth in thu fatm >toir* of the American ¥*lk*Lort
*?. w>l it, p. iae.
200 Macedonian Folklore
passed underneath, by four or six men, according to its weight
and size. The chief mourners march close behind. In country
districts it is the custom for both sexes to attend, excepting
newly-married women and women who happen to have lost
their firstborn. But in the towns the female mourners keep
decorously aloof. In these places the guilds of artisans (lapwfua)
are paid to swell the train. People along the road rise at the
approach of the cortige and stand bareheaded, until it has
gone by.
The coffin is first taken to the church where the burial
service is held ; and a profoundly affecting service it is. The
solemn chant and the twinkle of many candles amidst clouds
of frankincense involuntarily dispose the mind to reflections on
the hereafter — a mood intensified by the sonorous hymn :
" Vanity are all human things that exist not after death "
(MaraioTT)? irdvra ra avdpdyrriva f 6aa o\r% virdp^i ixera
Oavarov).
Service over, the procession resumes its march to the
burial ground.
When the coffin is lowered into the grave, a pillow filled
with earth is placed under the head, the shroud is drawn over
the face, wine is sprinkled upon it, and a handful of earth is
thrown in by the priest, after which the coffin is covered with
the lid. All the bystanders, relatives and friends, make a
point of casting in a handful of earth, uttering such wishes
as " May Heaven forgive him or her " (0eo9 dytopiaoi, rov
or rrjv) ; " May his or her memory live for ever " (aloovia rov or
T179 17 fJLVfjfif)) ; " May the earth lie light upon thee ! " (yalav
$Xoi<; ikafypav) — a wish taken from the burial service and
recalling classical times. 1
1 Cp. Ko6<pa coi xQuv iw&rwOe Wow, ytivai, Eur. Ale. 463 ; Sit tibi terra levis,
Mart. ix. 29. 11, etc.
The custom of throwing a handful of earth into the grave exists among the
Russians, and is considered by them as a remnant of a still older custom,
according to which "everyone who was present at a funeral deemed it a religious
duty to assist in the erection of the mound." Ralston, Songi of the Ruuian
People, p. 330.
Allusions to the funeral service are contained in the following popular
imprecations :
Fun, nil Rite*
201
After the grave is closed in, the mourners spread over it
baskets full of pieces of bread or buns, also plates of parboiled
wheat (tcoXkvPa), bottle* of wine or arrack, and in the case of
yOttBg persons, sweetmeats. All comers are free to partake of
this sad repast, and express a wish that "his or her soul may
repose in bli-
All the details of the funeral described above are vividly
forth in the following song, which in often sung as a
lament
WtptirXephrq Xtpovid pia V t* ap0rj aroXtapUpf),
T^f wpa ttqv a dydirrjaa &€P t)rap ffXoyqp*
Af)pw<TT7}<ra Kat etcava aapdvra pta ijptpa.
I <rtcov<rav€ k v! ibiXot- pov tcai xXaive ytaT ifM
\ uKvvae k rj fiii pa pov /cat piri)fC€ pia \ ra pavpa.
CO, TpatTatfrvWivta ptov, teal irtda€ p' air ro X*P l *
Kat pmra tV; paiouXa pov, *' Kvpd p\ rt tent' 6 yvius aov;'
Ka* Kttv% tfa irt}\oyt}6ii pk tij xapcia Kapiv)}*
B r*a row, ytd toik wov mtircrai teal Xe iraK airoBain
"EXa, TpaprafyvKKivta pov, tcdrae \ rt) ic€$>aXij |
Ka4 irtdat ro xjepd/ct pov o&o ra /Byfj yffuy^ij pov.
"Opras $a fjyfj ^v^traa pov, rpapra^vKXid^ xXtaputi,
RtiXe /ie to govptipi pov, to w€io Xa^ovp* %ovpdpi,
< lira? da ffyji yfrv\ovXd pov, av vd pt &a8ai't*>at)>i,
Ni ffXetar/v ra pard/cta pov % ra \(pta fi pa aTavptooys.
*Ot>ras tfdp&ji <f>r}p€pioK /if ffuftiaro B f to \*
NA *\m\, va \ts, TpaPTatfrvWtd ji\ "ttov was, yXvxo pov Talpi ; '
Opt pi arjKwaavie Ttaaapa tr aXXf}tcdpta,
Ni KpOVffK TO K(<f>nXl GOV pi TT€Tpat$ pt Xtthtpta.
Sd ror wij 6 rarat 't r aW,
Kp 6 did vac 'f re, «o/)i^if.
H JI*y the i>ri«t lit i ear, and the dwwmi mi bfti »»•
*e* rj tor JeiXeye, M M*y (the pri over thee the epilogue,"
For Thine ii the kingdom, ami the power end the 0m
Nd ear t'3p re '#&♦ • Mitv hi nfcaifl lo the oarryiog out m i^m
e^eXovWal, IMBM the epithet io^nt^ot "0041 deeerving deei
202
Macedonian Falklan
"QvTas 8d p€ TT€pfi<TQuv€ dtrb to payaka &ov t
*Efiya Kpvrf>a arr' ttj pava aov KoX rptt&a ra p-aXXid aov.
"Otnas 8 a p£ Tnjyairovve \ ttJ*? €iCK\i}<ria$ ttj iropra,
Na $yd\r)s ptd tyiX*} tfttoin}, I'd papaBavv rd %QpTa.
"Optus 8d p.* aKQvpTrtjGrQvve f t% tKttkTjatas ri) p£<rt),
Na ftyaXjjs ptd yfrtXff (f>eavi] f 6 Kpa$/3aro$ vd 7re<xi7,
"Gi^ra? 8d p€ poipdaovve ra tppa tcoXvftd pov,
<&dy€ koX av, dydvr} pov t yid rtf waprjyopid p,ov.
"Oin-a? 8d pt potpdaouve Trawa&es rd tcepla pov,
Tore9, Tpavra<f>u\\ipta pov f ^capifet? V rr} KapBtd pov?
well trained lemon- tree, in blossoms arrayed,
The hour in which I became enamoured of thee was not a propitious hour*
1 fell ill and suffered for forty and one days.
My friends heard of it, and wept f«»r me.
My mother also heard of it and put herself in black.
Come, my rosy One T take me by the hand
And ask of my dear mother, "Lady, how fares thy son?*
She will answer thee from a heart charred with grief:
u Behold him, behold him, he is lying yonder, and says that he is dying."
Come, my rosy One, sit by iny pillow,
And hold my hand until my soul has flown forth.
When my poor soul has flown, thou bough of a rose-tree,
Gird me with my sash, my best Lahore sash ;
When my poof soul has flown, til thou must wind me in the shroud,
Close my poor eyes and cross my hands upon my breast;
When the priest is come, censer in hand,
Weep thou, my rose-tree, and say :
"Whither art thou going, O my sweet mate?"
When four lads have lifted me up,
Smite thy head with rocks and stones;
When they carry me past thy neighbourhood,
Come thou forth, without thy mother's ken, and tear thy tr
When they have taken me to the church^ <n\
Give thou a shrill cry that the plants may wither*
When they have laid ine down in the nave of the church,
Give thou a shrill cry that the eotiin may collapse;
When they arc distributing the wretched boiled-corn,
Eat thou also, my love, for my soul's sake.
When the priests are distributing the candles,
Then, my rosy One, thou wilt be severed from my heart,
1 Cp. Passow {Mifrok'ffid) r No«. 377, 377a* Somewhat similar in tone and
structure is No. 122 iu E. Legraud, Recuetl <t? Chatuont Popuhiirrt Grccque*,
Funeral Bites
203
The funeral-feast.
When the mourners who have escorted the corpse to its
resting-place return to the house, they are met at the door by
a servant holding a ewer and basin, in which they all wash their
hands by turns before crossing the threshold. Then, inside the
house, takes place the funeral banquet {patcapio or patcapta, 1 )
to which they all sit down, offering their consolations to the
survivors, "Life to your worships" (£>q Ve \6yov era?), and
their wishes for the welfare of the departed, whose deeds and
virtues form the chief subject of conversation. Toasts and
libations are sometimes indulged in so heartily that the ban-
queters are apt to forget the mournful occasion of the feast.
" The dead with the dead, and the living with the living " (O*
the Macedonian equivalent for our " Let the dead bury their
dead" — was the pithy way in which I once heard a merry
mourner trying to defend his boisterous resignation to the
QonuMn lot.
The funeral feast of the modern Greeks may reasonably be
regarded as a lineal descendant of the classic TrepiSEnrvav, by
Homer called ta^o?, and the lustration preceding it as a survival
of the ablution, which in ancient times took place before the
" carrying out " of the corpse (itctfaapa). Eveu the excessive
indulgence in funereal pleasures can be shown to be a matter
of ancient tradition. Solon's regulations about funerals include
a strict limitation of the quantity of meat and drink admissible
for the banquet, whence Grate justly infers that u both in
Gteeec* and Rome, the feelings of duty and affection on the
part of surviving relatives prompted them to ruinous expense
in a funeral, as well as to unmeasured effusions both of grief
and conviviality. 1 ' 5
1 From the ancient aifiaaovplat ' offerings of blood ' umde upon the yrave to
appease the inane*. Find. 0* i. 146. The word has probably been modified by
false analogy to /*a*apJa * bliss,' Cp. fjuttcapirrii still commonly used in the
sense of 'one blessed/ i.e. dead, * late,* just as in /Bach. Pert. 638 etc.
* II it lory of Greece , vol. EL p. 606.
204 Macedonian Folklore
Similar survivals from olden times are to be found among
the Slavs. An old woman, with a vessel containing live coals,
meets the mourners on their return from the funeral, and they
pour water on the coals, taking one of them and flinging it
over their heads. In this instance the purification is performed
with both fire and water. Water is likewise used by the
Lusetian Wends in their funeral rites. The repast on the
tomb and the subsequent banquet are also essential accom-
paniments of the Slav funeral, the participators in which "eat
find drink to the memory of the dead," — a relic of the ancient
Strava. 1
If we go further afield, we find the concluding features of
the Macedonian funeral in striking accordance with the practices
of some rude tribes of North-East India, who after the burial
"proceed to the river and bathe, and having thus lustrated
themselves, they repair to the banquet and eat, drink, and make
merry as though they never were to die." 8 The Macedonian's
philosophy, it will be observed, is somewhat more advanced and
in closer agreement with the doctrine expounded on a like
occasion by the inebriated demigod:
All mortals are bound to die,
Therefore, having learnt wisdom from me,
Make merry, drink, the passing day
Regard as thine, the rest as Chance's. 3
After the funeral.
The attentions to the dead do not end with the funeral
ceremonies. The sense of bereavement is kept alive by the
mourning, which varies in duration according to the district,
the average being one year. During that twelvemonth men
and women appear in old clothes, the former let their beards
grow, and the latter draw their head-kerchiefs round their faces
more closely than usual. The mother and the widow of the
deceased avoid going out of doors altogether.
1 Ralston, Songs of the Russian People, pp. 319-20.
Hodgson, quoted by Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. n. p. 31.
» Eur. Ale. 782 foil.
Fmtnal Rlte9
On the third day after the fun nds call on the
mother of the deceased, and comfort her with mournful music.
The nog given beneath is an rxample:
(From Kosani.)
KaXtf pipa a avrov V t* umA qttov clacu*'
* T( *a\r) fiipa e^o* yii> t eow *s t* dpddt irovp,at ;
TV; teaXij {iepa rj^Te o~ck trou 7X€V€T€ toi> *J\to,
rioi) y\€7T€T€ rip' "Ai'oifi, 7raTe f t« iravffyvpta,
Kal y& to cpVo KXtiaTTjica fUaa V to /i«iV dpd$t,
UepifcaXco a€ t Mavpf} TiJ t 7rcp<*-aX*a peydXrj ■
Al'TOj' TO rfio TTOl) <J* €<JT€t\a t *a\" l'ft TO*> KVTrd£j}$.
&§ Za/3/3aTO i'o to*' XoiJa-V, Tf? Kfptaa-q f* ciXXaff/,
Kai To rip'yri apyoi/T<rijra pa ttotc k to atpytdvt*
Ati' ci/ia* /i/ii/a p/i 7roi'o>, waT€pa$ vd Xtrrrovpai,
'Mffd pi \*v€ Wavpi) IV; real *paxvtaap 9^"*
.od day to thoe who dwelleat in thia cav<
i it kind of a ginxl day can be n me?
IT!,*
Who babO&d KlM Sprm^ who |0 ure,
Whonm* I, the Imj rflOliad in ft black cava
'I oflbr up to thee, Black Earth, a grtftl
poixtfa whom 1 have commit u*J to thy care, tend him lovingly.
When fiitnrdl wa»h him; en Bu the him Ei
* With the last six line* op. n *hurt ptoft (fl lint-*) from Znkynthoe included
a* a Myrologue | Kernhard Schmidt's GritchUeke Mflrehtn, N<jjj*ti und
V^UMidtr, It m Hit mhlrvM to the marhlo slab |r\,. lbnlone, praymtf
tO tt tO *pa ith aild * With, t linn • h\h\) aOiWOTt I
M Mtjyd/*? »lMat para rot', MVy*P*j dbpfrt) row,
•*Am ! *i*t\
Am I hut aunt, that I ahould wither him not ? N
Abo op. Paaaow. No. 3H1, a Myrologue, "The Stranger* Tomb" fO ra^oi row
t* m] */*r **« *\Joio, /Jom. i/|rma. rr. 10S.
To Mpi and to *** * a* light of the tun art to the modem, an they ware to the
kfttk »ynoi nna; eonvitmelv, daath and darknem are idea*
nlubiy aaMociatt I -pile the belief in a Paradiaa
lit with 1 iR/ro, p. I
2i)8 Macedonian Folklore
offerings consist of a tray of parboiled wheat (KoXKvffa) mixed
with pounded walnuts, raisins and parsley, and covered over with
a coating of sugar, with the sign of the cross, and sometimes the
initials of the deceased, worked on it in raisins. The wheat is
interpreted as a symbol of the resurrection : as the grain is
buried in the earth, rots, and rises again in the shape of a
blooming plant, so will the soul rise from its tomb. An occult
meaning is also attached to the sugar and the raisins: the
sweetness of the one representing the sweets of the heavenly
paradise, and the shrivelled appearance of the other suggesting
the state of the soul before it is admitted to the bliss of the
Christian Elysium.
In addition to these ceremonies, held in everlasting re-
membrance of individuals, there are certain days in the year
set apart for the celebration of feasts of the dead collectively.
These are called "Souls' Sabbaths" (tywxpaa&fiaTa), and the
times in which they occur coincide roughly with the seasons
of spring and harvest, of the decline and death of the year.
Two of these Sabbaths are especially dedicated to " those
gone to rest" (r&v ice/cot firjfievtop). The first falls on the
eve of Meat Sunday, and the other on the eve of Whitsunday,
that is in February and May respectively — their exact date
depending, of course, on the date of Easter — thus corre-
sponding with the Feral i a and Lemuralia of the Romans,
which were held in those two months. The eve of Cheese
Sunday and the first Saturday of Lent are likewise devoted
to the same purpose, the latter being also a Feast "in com-
memoration of the miracle performed by means of parboiled
wheat" (M 1/17^17 tov Bid tco\\vfia)i> Oavfunos). The Saturday
preceding the feast of St Demetrius (Oct. 26 O. S.) is another
of these " Souls' Sabbaths."
On the above days sweetmeats, parboiled corn, small loaves
of pure wheat (XeiTovpyiai) stamped with a wooden stamp
(a-<f>paylSi or a^payiarepo), which bears the sign of the cross
with the words "Jesus Christ prevaileth" abbreviated, and cakes
are laid on the graves that the people, especially the poor, may
eat thereof and " absolve the dead ones " (yia va <rxa>p€aovi>
ra iredafiha). The relatives kneel and cry beside the tombs
Funeral Mites
209
u<l employ the priests to read prayers over them. 1 The
jrance of flowers mingles with the fumes of frankincense.
The piercing wails of the women are blended with the whining
benedictions of beggars; and the cemetery is a vast M
in which the liviug and the dead seem to meet in a holiday
of mourning. But from amidst the cries of uncontrolled
arrow rises the voice of the praying priest, giving ntl
tfa bd|K that fceepi despair al i
Similar customs prevail in Russia, but they are cast after
b modebj A names in common use being either
translated or borrowed directly from the Greek (e.£. u chants
of remembrance M =» fiwjfjLoirvva ; kolyvo = k6\\v/3o, • t« . ) The
corresponding rite in W. ^<rn Europe is the celebration
All Souls' Day. By comparing these feasts of the dead with
analogous ceremonies among races in a primitive stai<
culture, ethnologists have arrived at the conclusion that they
rest upon the view that the souls of the deceased come
back to the world to visit their living relatives and receive
from them offerings of food and drink. 1 This seems to have
been the idea underlying the ve/cva-ta of the ancients,
it ran still be dimly recognized in the formalities and ceremonies
of the Greek Church.
A practice connected with these celebrations brings into
relief the meaning which the Macedonian peasants unoon-
tsly attach to the feasts of the dead. It shows how far
beHftVt in kh€ actual presence of the spirits of the
ieparted at the banquets prepared for them. It is said I
if on going to bed on a Souls' Sabbath you place under your
pillow a few grains of parboiled wheat taken from three
different plates of those offered at you will dream
thing true. This superstition tallies with that part of the
atomistic doctrine according to which the ghosts of the dead
i.r to their surviving friends in dreams, a theory shared
nany widely separated nwes.' How firmly the an<
1 Cp. fcuiiogooa practices in the i>lantU of the Aegean, W. U. D. Roaet.
•Folklore (ram the Southern bpormdee* in hoik* Lor 4, June 1*399, pp. 180
itorftfti cuttur*, ?oi. u* pp. ao-4&
vol. 1. pp. 44-J foil
a- r. 14
210 Macedonian Folklore
Greeks and Romans held this superstition is shown by the
dreams recorded in classical literature from Homer onwarda 1
Exhumation,
Three years after burial the body is disinterred and, if
found thoroughly decomposed, the bones are carefully washed
with wine and placed in a linen bag, or a wooden box, labelled
with the name of the deceased and the date of death. The
receptacle of the remains is then deposited in a mortuary chapel
or charnel-house, emphatically called cemetery (Kotfirjnjptov)
that is "sleeping place"; the name "burial-ground" (veicpo-
rafaiov) being applied to the graveyard. This performance
is designated the " Lifting of the remains " CAva/coptSt) r&v
Xeiyfrdpcw).
Great importance is attributed to the appearance of the
dead at the opening of the tomb. Complete dissolution is a
certain proof that the soul of the deceased is at rest. The
colour and odour of the bones are also critically observed,
and a yellow redolent skeleton fills the relatives with the
assurance that their dear departed is enjoying everlasting bliss
"in the regions resplendent with light and flowers," 8 as
described by the Church in language which sounds not unlike
an echo of the classic notions concerning
the Elysian lawns,
Where paced the Demigods of old.
Nor is this a mere popular belief. The Church officially
recognizes it, and a petition that the body may " be dissolved
into its component elements " (Siakvaov eh ra ef (Sv <rxw€T€0T))
forms an essential part of the burial service. It follows as
a logical corollary that the partial or total absence of decom-
position indicates the sinfulness and sad plight of the deceased.
In that case the body is buried again either in the same or
in a new grave, and special prayers are offered up for its
1 Horn. IL xxiii. 59 foil.; Cio. De Divinat. i. 27, etc.
8 'Er rdry <purr€iy$, iv t6t(? x*°*PV * 8 the expression in the Mass or Prayer for
the Dead {{TwnfjUxrvvos Sfrjcris).
Funeral Rites
211
*y. It is especially held that this disaster overtakes
bose who committed suicide, or who died under a par
curse, * or under the ban of excommunication, or of a Bishop's
anathema. This last cause of a soul's misery is expressly
mentioned in the Mass for the Dead and is prayed against
in the word* ,k Unbind the curse, be it of priest or of arch-
priest M (Xvcrov Karupav. arc teptw etre apxitpt
How great is the dread of an ecclesiastic's wrath can
realized from the following anecdote related |q th
a M true story " by a person who entertained no doubts
as to its authenticity. " Many years ago there was an
Archbishop of Salonica who once in a moment of anger
cursed a man of his diocese: "May the earth
v 7>)s la fir} at &XT17). Years went by, and the
Archbishop embraced Islam. Owing to his erudition and
ial ability, he was raised by the Mohammedans to the
office of head Mullah. Meanwhile, the individual who had
rred the prelate's wrath died, and was buried in the
usual fashion. N«»w it QRinti to pass that when, at the
expiration of throe years, the tomb was opened, the inmate
was found intact, just as if be had been buried the day b<
Jeither prayers nor offerings availed to bring about the del
[issolutiou. He was inhumed o re; but three yean
luUr he was still found in the same condition. It was then
recalled to mind by the widow that her late boibud bad
been anat "d by the apostate Archbishop rthwith
to the ex-prelate and implored him to revoke the sen*
ftnce. This dignitary promised to exert hi> influence, which
it appears had not been dimiuudied a whit by bis apostasy;
>uce a bishop always a btehop. Having i the
is jHrmission, he repaired to the open tomb, knelt
beside it, lifted up his hands and prayed for a few miuutes.
had hardly risen to his feel vhefi, VTOlldlinU to relate,
deeh of the corpse crumbled away from the bones, and
the skeleton renminbi bile and clean as if it bad never
known pollution. "
1 On the terrible power ftaorlbtd hy lh« Slave to * pareat'i cum «* Ralttan,
14-2
212 Macedonian Folklore
In perfect agreement with the foregoing tradition is the
account of an experiment, made at Constantinople in the 15th
century by order of Mohammed the Conqueror, and recorded in
a Byzantine chronicle recently published. According to this
authority the first Sultan of Constantinople was distinguished
as much by his liberal curiosity as by his prowess in the battle-
field. He took an enlightened interest in the religion of the
people whom he had conquered and delighted in enquiries
concerning the mysteries of their faith. "Among other things,"
says the chronicler, "he was informed about excommunication, —
namely that those who have died in sin and cursed by an
Archbishop the earth dissolves not ; but they remain inflated
like drums and black for a thousand years. At hearing this he
marvelled greatly and enquired whether the Archbishops who
have pronounced the excommunication can also revoke it. On
being told that they can, he forthwith sent a message to
the Patriarch bidding him find a person who had been long
dead under the ban. The Patriarch and the clergy under him
could not at first think of such an individual, and demanded a
period of several days in which to find one. At last they
recollected that a woman, a presbyter's wife, used once upon a
time to walk in front of the church of the All-Blessed. She
was a shameless wench and, owing to her personal charms, had
had many lovers. Once, on being rebuked by the Patriarch,
she falsely accused him of having had improper relations with
her. The rumour spread, and some credited it, while others
disbelieved it. The Patriarch, not knowing what to do, on a
certain great festival pronounced a heavy sentence of excom-
munication against the woman who slandered him. This was
the woman of whom they bethought themselves ; for she had
been long dead. On opening her grave they found her sound,
not even the hair of her head having fallen off. She was black
and swollen like a drum and altogether in a lamentable condition.
They reported the fact to the Sultan, and he sent men of his
own to inspect her. They were astonished at the sight and
related to their master how they had found her. He thereupon
sent other officials with his seal, who deposited the corpse in a
chapel and sealed it. The Patriarch appointed a day on which
Funeral J:
213
he intended to sing a special mass, when she would be taken
out t and he also drew up a letter of forgiveness. The Sultan's
nessengers came on the appointed day and took her out.
After divine service, the Patriarch standing with tears in hifl
read aloud the letter of forgiveness, and all at once, oh
wonder! while ttu- Patriarch was reading the letter, the joints
of her hands and feet began to dissolve, and those who stood
ilose to the remainH heard the noise. At the conclusion of the
mass, they lifted the corpse and deposited it again in the
chapel, which they sealed carefully. Three days later, win n
they came and broke the seals, they (bond her completely
dissolved and in dust, and were astonished at the sight. They
returned to their master and informed him of all they saw, and
he (in hearing their account marvelled greatly and believed
t the faith of the Christians is a true faith." 1
The following oocmmntiS, narrated by Csaplovica as an
eyewitness and quoted by Mr Ralston, brings out more vividly
the similarity between the < 2 reek practice of exhumation and
some prevailing among the Slavs: " A Slovene, %v
mother had died, dug up the corpse of his father, collected his
bones, washed them with red wine, tied them up in a el
white towel, placed the bundle on his mothers coffin, and
buried the remains of his two parents together." The \\
goet on to remark that in Bulgaria also * it is said/' " it* no
rekti vithin the space of three years, the family tomb is
<«[>. ned. and any stranger who happens to expire is buried in
it — a custom the lingering influence of the old idea,
that the grave required a victim/' 1
The opening of the tomb, the collecting, washing, and tying
up of the bones witnessed among the Bkr nd the period
of three years observed by the Bulgarians, taken together,
constitute a complete parallel to what happens in Macedonia,
1 Ecthttit Chromes td. by 8. P. Lambra, Methuen and Co., 1909, pp. I
Tht time itory it quoted by Sir Retmell Rodd from Augustine Calmer*
book on magic, and another timilar tale in given on the authority of Sir Paul
Kkaut, British Ambassador al Conitantinopl* during the latter part of the
17th century. See The Cuttoma mnd Lort of Modem Greece, p. 190*
1 Sonoa of th* Huaaxan iVopfc, p. $89.
214 Macedonian Folklore
and among the Greeks generally, as a regular, time-honoured,
and officially recognized practice. Indeed, so general and
prominent is the custom that there is hardly any burying
ground which does not boast a " cemetery " in which the bones
of past generations are preserved, neatly ranged on shelves,
like so many deed-boxes in a solicitor's office. Visitors to the
monasteries on Mount Athos, and other convents both in
Macedonia and elsewhere in the Near East, are familiar with
the crypts, the walls of which are covered with a multitude of
skulls duly labelled, while the centre is often taken up by a
miscellaneous heap of thigh-bones, ribs, and other minor con-
stituents of human anatomy. The washing of the bones with
wine and the depositing of them in a bag or box, to be kept for
ever, are probably survivals of the ancient practice of extin-
guishing the pyre with wine, collecting and washing the bones
after cremation and then preserving them in a cinerary urn
(Kakins;)} In connection with the significance attached to the
state of the body in the grave, it is well to refer to a similar
belief entertained by the Slavs : " The bodies of vampires, of
wizards, and of witches, as well as those of outcasts from the
Church, and of people cursed by their parents, are supposed not
to decay in the grave, for ' moist mother-earth ' will not take
them to herself." a
Before concluding these remarks on the burial-customs, it
may be worth while to notice a practice which, though not
confined to the Macedonians, is popular among them. The
parings of the nails both of fingers and of toes are collected
and put into a hole, that, in the resurrection of the dead, they
may easily join the body again.' The Jews of Salonica also
preserve the parings of their nails and are careful not to mislay
them, for they must be buried with them. This custom is said
to be due to the belief that on the Day of Judgment the nails
will help the owner to dig his way out of the grave. The Russian
1 See the Homeric funeral in IL xxiu. 286 foU. The bones of Patroklos are
there pot in a golden urn or bowl (ir xpwtv <t*d\v) and folded up in fat (MrXcuu
dw£) of the sacrificial victims.
9 Ralston, Songs of the Russian People, p. 412.
* A. A. Tovfflov, «'H Kara to Hayyaioy Xw/xx/ p. 76.
Fcnerat Mites
215
also place the parings of a dead person's nails along
with the body in the grave, in the belief that the soul has to
climb a steep hill-sioV in oni- lie heavenly Paradise
Mtiu4U<! on fchc wnninit of a hill. 1 The Jewish habit, ]
may be explained as being due to the fear lest these cu1
afamH tall intoth'* bands of an enemy wh<* might do a
to th» owner by magic — a <a>n*iuViation which in<!
neircut hair ami nails buried with 1 1
and other races to bide them in van- -us ways. 1 But the first
motion eeem& to MMOl «»ne, as the same custom
ioga of their nails
the belief that they will be needed at ktti rtfHUfeotioD ." 4
The WU&
Ed it «.vith a vapetBtition w
some of thf belief in the
i poflgiwed ' r iuals to transform fchem*
ii as lions, leopards, hyaenas, or w<
The 1 the "loup-garou" of French folk-
rind in the U lian " wihMxi loyovpovvo) a not
unworthy cousin, The belief, thougl ate so general at
present as i o be, cannot be considered extinct
According to it, Turks, who have led a pa; y wicked lit*
whin at the point of death, turn into wild boars, and the ring
by tin- man M his fi&gef is retained on one of the b
•rphosis tak> M follows: the si
first begins to grunt like a pig (apxtveUt va novyxpity |
falU on all fours (t€t pawo&ifa), and finally rushes out of the
v and leaping over hedges, ditches, an i
- until he has reached the open country. At night he
sit* tin houses q{ liis friends, and more especially those of his
1 IUlston, Songt of the Human People, p. 109.
- Tylor, Primitive Culture* eol. i. p, I
1 J. G. Prater, Th > pp. 3*2 foil.
* The People of Turkey, by a Consult daughter and wife, quoted in
J. O. Frmiei, The Golden Boufth, vol, t. p. daft. Mr V rater diacueaes the whole
tject of hair and nail *up«r*Utioni at great length, lb. pp. 36d foil.
216 Macedonian Folklore
foes, and knocks at their doors for admittance. He chases with
evil intent all those whom he meets in the way, and generally
makes himself disagreeable. This he continues doing for forty
days, and at the end of that period he betakes himself to the
mountains, where he abides as a wild beast.
The ring noticed above reminds one forcibly of the ear-ring
worn by the tribe of Budas in Abyssinia, a tribe much addicted
to turning into hyaenas. It is said that this ornament has
been seen " in the ears of hyaenas shot in traps/' and it has
been suggested that it is put there by the Budas in order " to
encourage a profitable superstition/' 1 It is not unlikely that in
the case of the Macedonia boar also the ring might be traced to
a similar origin.
This superstition is closely related to a Slav belief, quoted
as an instance of metempsychosis. The Bulgarians hold that
Turks who have never eaten pork in life will become wild boars
after death. It is related that a party assembled to feast on a
boar was compelled to throw it all away, " for the meat jumped
off the spit into the fire, and a piece of cotton was found in the
ears, which the wise man decided to be a piece of the ci-devant
Turk's turban." 2
The Bulgarian superstition is practically the same as that
of the Melenikiote peasantry, but the latter presents the curious
point that the transformation of the Turk into a boar is supposed
to occur before death and to be gradual. This peculiarity seems
to identify it rather with a process of metamorphosis than of
metempsychosis, especially as the doctrine of transmigration is
so rarely found in Christian countries. This belief concerning
the future state of the Turks is one of several superstitions held
by other races both geographically and ethnologically allied to
the Macedonians. The Albanians believe in some strange
beings which they call liougat or liouvgat, defined by Hahn as
" Dead Turks, with huge nails, who wrapped up in their winding
sheets devour whatever they find and throttle men." 8
1 Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 311.
2 Id. vol. n. pp. 15 foil.
' Stud. Alb. i. p. 16.
Funeral R
•217
Akin both to the above superstition and to those that
follow is the Wallachian belief in a being called priccol
and described as " a man who wanders by night in the shap of
dog over the fields and commons and even villages, and as he
kills by touching horses, cows, sheep, pigs, goats and
Other animals, and derives from them a vitality which makes
him look always healthy." 1
Vampire.
A short step from the strange beliefs recorded in the last
chapter brings us to the equally strange, though better known,
superstition concerning the vampire. The name given to this
hideottfl monster in Macedonia is, generally speaking, the same
as rhat by which it is known in some part- of Greece proper;
but its form is slightly modified in various districts. Thus at
M. I ink i .V>rth-East) it is called Vrykolakas (o /3pv*6\a/ca<i
or to ftoupKoXd* ampyras (o jBiifurvpas ) ; whereas at
Kataphygi (South W pears as Vroukolakaa, or Votupiras,
the ll i U a term of abuse. The name
baa been variously desired by philologists, some holding that it
comes from th< ancient Greek ftopftoXvicttov, a hobgoblin. This
view of tome modern Greek scholars, followed by Hahn.
in, like Bcrnhard Schmidt, 1 more plausibly assign to it a
jin. 1
The Macedonian Vrykolakas is conct -ived of as an animated
orpse throttling people and sucking the blood of men and
beasts, or damaging household utensils, ploughs, etc. He is
described as being in personal appearance like a bull-skin full
of blood, with a pair of eyes on le, gleaming like live
1 Schott. H'ataehi* <•«, p. 29*. On thii and the following
tee al*o Toier, RtMtarehfi in the Highlands of Turkey, vol, it
m foU.
9 Dqm VoUuleben dtr Seugruchm. p. L59.
• The following are mm« of the Slavonic forma of the name: ulhxli.ik
man), rukwlhik (Servian), rrkolak (' Bulgarian), The Albanians call it
ulak, and the Tarki rurkolak. The form pdnwtfxxt or fl6pir%p&i alao may be
i with tha ftasaian turner or upuir <anc, upir), and the PolUh upior.
218
Macedonian Folklore
coals in the dark. 1 The Macedonian, and the modern < ;
Vrykolakas generally, agrees in his attributes with the
creature of the same name, and with the ghouls of the Ai
Nights. Like them it is imagined as being a corpse imbued
with a kind of half-life, and actuated by murderous impulses
and by an unquenchable thirst for blood. This conception does
not differ materially from the kindred beliefs of the Scandinavians
and Icelanders, yet on the whole it is nearer to the Slav
than to any other version of the vampire superstition. But we
need not, therefore, conclude that the modern Greeks hm
borrowed much more than the name from their Slav neighbour
The superstition is closely related to the Ivcanthropy and t<> th
belief in spectres of the ancient Greeks, and the fact that
Greek islands it is known by other and purely Hellenic name
goes far to prove that the idea has originated among the Greeks
independently, though those of the mainland who have ootDfl
into contact with the Slavs may, in adopting the Slav ii.iuu,
have also modified their own views and customs respecting the
vampire in harmony with those of their neighbours.
The accordance between the Greek and the Slavonic
ceptions of the vampire is nowhere more apparent than in
Macedonia, a province which for many centuries past has been
the meeting point of Slav and Hellene. It is believed t
dead person turns into a vampire (jSpv/coXaKLa^et)^ first, if
the unearthing of the body the latter is found undecayed
turned face downwards. In such an emergency the relatives <
the deceased have recourse to a ceremony which 611s the
beholder with sickening horror. I was creditably informed of
a case of this description occurring not long ago at Alistrati
one of the principal villages between Serres and Drama.
Someone was suspected of having turned into a vampire. The
corpse was taken out of the grave, was scalded with boiling oil.
1 It will be »een from this that Mr Trior's description of the Vrykolakas af
" a niflo who falls into a cataleptic state, while his soul enters a wolf and goes
ravening for blood n (Prim, Cult* vol. t. p. 313) is scarcely accurate.
1 *araxa*ar> in Crete and Rhodes ; aPatKaSwpLtvoi, in Tenoa ; trapKUiUvoi. in
Cyprus,
a ppvKa\*Kia*€ ? is said in jest of one who cannot sleep of nights.
Funeral Mites 219
and was pierced through the navel with a long nail. Then the
tomb was covered in, and millet was scattered over it, that, if
the vampire came out again, he might waste his time in
picking up the grains of millet and be thus overtaken by dawn.
For the usual period of their wanderings is from about two
hours before midnight till the first crowing of the morning
cock. At the sound of which "fearful summons" the Vrykolakas,
like the Gaelic sithche, or fairy, vanishes into his subterranean
abode. 1
Another cause leading to the transformation of a human
being into a Vrykolakas is the leaping of a cat over the corpse
while lying in state. To guard against such an accident the
body is watched all night by relatives and friends, who consider
it a deed " good for their own souls " (yfrvxixo) to wake by the
dead. If, despite their watchfulness, a cat does jump across
the body, the latter is immediately pierced with two big " sack-
needles" (aatcKoppd<fxu<;) in order to prevent the dread calamity.
The visits of a vampire are further guarded against by scattering
mustard seed 2 over the tiles of the roof, or by barricading the
door with brambles and thorn-bushes.
The superstition regarding the leaping of the cat is shared
1 Tournefort, the eighteenth century French traveller, narrates a similar
occurrence which he witnessed in the island of Myconos. The body in that
case was not simply scalded, bat actually burnt to ashes. Voyage to the Levant,
Eng. Tr. I. pp. 103 foil., in Tozer, Researches in the Highlands of Turkey,
to1. n. pp. 92 foil. See also Leake, Travels in Northern Greece, vol. i. p. 492 ;
voL nr. p. 216.
3 The mustard, like the millet mentioned already, is intended to make the
Vrykolakas waste his time in counting. The same fatal weakness for arithmetic
seems to beset the Kalikantzari of Southern Greece. If a sieve is handed to one,
he will set to work to count the holes, as though his life depended on it. As
his mathematics do not go beyond the figure two, he is overtaken by morning.
The Italians use a similar antidote on the Eve of St John's Day, when they
carry about an onion-flower or a red carnation. This flower is meant for the
witches, who are believed to be abroad on that evening. When it is given
to them, they begin to count the petals, and long before they have accomplished
this feat you are out of their reach. See Sir Bennell Bodd, The Customs and Lars
of Modern Greece, p. 201. In America also a sieve placed under the door-step,
or hung over the door, keeps the witches out of the house, for they cannot enter
until they have counted, or even crawled through, every hole: Memoirs of the
American Folk-Lore Society, vol. vn. p. 16.
220 Macedonian Folklore
by both Servians and Bulgarians, for which reason a corpse is
always carefully watched while it is in the cottage before the
funeraL But the Slavonic races go even further than the
Greeks : " In some places the jumping of a boy over the corpse
is considered as fatal as that of a cat. The flight of a bird
above the body may also be attended by the same terrible
result; and so may — in the Ukraine — the mere breath of the
wind from the Steppe." l This belief survives in the northern
counties of England, although its explanation has been long
forgotten. If a cat or dog pass over a corpse, the animal must
be killed at once.*
The piercing of the corpse is also a practice well-known to
the Slavs. In Russia they drive a stake through it, and in
Servia, after having pierced it with a white-thorn stake, they
commit it to the flames. 3 Likewise in Iceland, we are told, in
order to prevent a dead person from "going again" needles or
pointed spikes should be driven into the soles of his feet. The
same end would be attained by driving nails into the tomb
during high-mass, between the reading of the Epistle and
the Gospel. 4 With the scattering of millet or mustard-seed
in order to obstruct the vampire's progress may be compared
the funeral practice of the Pomeranians, who on "returning
from the churchyard leave behind the straw from the hearse,
that the wandering soul may rest there, and not come back
so far as home."* Also the Russian custom of the widow, who,
after the body is carried out, "strews oats over the ground
traversed by the funeral procession." 8
With the blood-sucking Vrykolakas is somewhat distantly
connected the murony of the Wallachs, which has also the
1 Ralston, S<mg$ of the Russian People, p. 412.
• Henderson, Folk-Lore of the Northern Counties of. England, p. 43, in
Raliton, Russian Folk-Tales, p. 828, n. 2 ; Tozer, Researches in the Highlands
of Turkey, vol. n. p. 84, n. 10.
9 Ralston, Songs of the Russian People, p. 418. It is with a like intent that
the negroes of America sometimes drive a stake through a grave, as soon as one
is buried. Memoirs of the American Folk-Lore Society, vol. vn. p. 15.
4 Islenzkar foVfoVfotir, i. 224, 8—7.
• Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. n. p. 27.
• lb. p. 818.
Funeral Rites
221
power of assuming many shapes, such as that of a cat, frog,
flea, or spit!
Iu addition to the ordinary Yrykolakas who delights in
m blood, the Macedonians b n the existence of a
Yrykolakas of sheep and cattle. He is represented as riding
on their shoulders, Bucking their blood, and killing them.
Quacks, especially Mohammedan <> the
power of exterminating these inferior vampires, whence I
known as u vampire- killers," and go about oetentatiotialjf
parading on iron rod ending in a shai r ■ long
stick armed with a small axe 00 the top.
People born on a Saturday (hence called %a(3/3aTtavoi or
Sabbatarians) are button joy the doubtful prmkg
eing ghosts and phantasms, and of possessing great influence
nunpirea A oafci >chos assured the writer that such
a one was known to have lured a Yrvk«>lakas into a barn and
to have eel him t<> OOttnl the grains of a heap of 'millet. While
the demon was thus engaged, the Sabbatarian attacked him
and succeeded in nailing him to the wall. I -euts
several p^ KirM, the nailing of an evil being to
a wall is a notion fatnilinr t<» the Macedonian mind. It may
even be found embodied in folk-tonga Some children's rhymes,
which I heard from a girl of the same village, began with the
words:
^rot^to Trapaxwjievo,
i » thou < front nuricd
I to the wall nailed I
This notion is closely connected with the ancient Roman
practice of warding off evil by driving a nail into a wall, and
the kindred superstitions still prevalent among I he peasants of
European countries. 1 The 1 lief may be regarded
as more primitive than any of these parallels; for it is baaed
the idea that personal and, so to speak, substantial spirits
can thus be transfixed; n<»t only abstract calamities. And
red by the above tale is the belief in the
» For iliuatrmtioni *ee J. G, Fnwr, Tht Golden Hough, roL nu pp. 33 toll.
222
Macedonian Folklore
exceptional endowment of people born at a certain time,
this superstition may be compared the one mentioned by
Mr Andrew Lang as prevailing in Scotland, — namely, "that
children born between midnight and one o'clock will be
second-sighted/* 1 Furthermore, as Saturday — the birthday of
the Macedonian Sabbatarians — is the seventh day of the week,
these favoured mortals may claim kinship with the seventh
suns, who among ourselves are credited with the facult
curing diseases by the touch, and the like, 3 In this connection
it may also be noted that a firstborn child is in Macedonia
supposed to possess supernatural powers over a hail-storm. If
such a child swallows a few grains of hail, the storm will im-
mediately cease.
At Liakkovikia it is held that the Sabbatarian owes his
power to a little dog, which follows him every evening and
drives away the Vrykolakas. It is further said that the Sabba-
tarian on those occasions is invisible to all but the little dog. 1
Perhaps it would not be a mistake to explain the little dog as
representing the M Fetch" or natal spirit of the Sabbatarian, ft
spirit which to this day is fond of assuming a canine form
Iceland. 11
1 Cock Lane ami Common Seme, p« 2B8 \ op, the American superstition 1
11 a person born on Halloween is said to be possessed of evil spirits'* {Memo
of the American Folk- Lore Society, foL rv. p. 149), and tbat li those bora with *
caul over the face can see ghosts, " Jfi. vol. vn. p. 22.
a For several curious instances of this belief in England see The Book of
Days, vol. i. pp. 166 foil.
3 A. A. Toivlov t *'H *-ara t A ildyy aiov Xwpa t ' p. 75.
4 The northern term "Fvlgja** Las two meanings: afterbirth and fetch,
which was believed to inhabit the after birth. It generally assumed the shape
of some animal : birds, riving dragons, bears, horses f oxen, he*goats, wolves,
foxes; but in modern times in Iceland its favourite guise is that of a dog.
This spirit followed through life every man of woman born. See hlenikar
\>jo&sogur t l 354—357; Finn Magnusson, Kddalaeren, If- 35 foil. For thii
note I am indebted to the kindness of my friend Mr Eirlkr Magnusson,
Trinity College, Cambridge.
CHAPTER XIII.
SPIRITS AND SPELLS.
Diseases of men and beasts are often regarded as evil
spirits to be expelled by means of incantations, prayers, and
other rites analogous to those practised against the Evil Eye. 1
In this belief the Macedonian peasants are not singular. It is
a belief chiefly prevailing among races in the lowest stage of
culture and thought, but surviving in many forms among
peoples which have long out-grown that early state. The
Russian peasant, for instance, maintains the same attitude
as the Macedonian and endeavours to drive away disease " by
purification with fire and water, and so the popular practice of
physic is founded on a theory of fumigations, washings, and
sprinklings attended by exorcisms of various kinds." 1
At Nigrita, in Southern Macedonia, I had an opportunity
of witnessing a ceremony of this description — a Benediction of
Beasts. The cattle of the district had been attacked by a
disease which was, as a matter of course, set down to the agency
of the Evil One. The people, therefore, resolved to have it
exorcised. On a Saturday evening the town-crier (ButKaXr^r^,
Turk, delicti) proclaimed that the cattle affected should be
driven next morning to the enclosure of the church. On the
morrow many head of cattle of all ages and complexions, and of
both sexes, congregated in the churchyard, awaiting the special
ceremony, which was to be performed for their benefit. When
the ordinary Sunday service was over, the priest came out and,
with the hand of St Dionysios, the patron saint of the village,
1 v. supra, p. 143.
2 Ralston, Songs of the Russian People, pp. 379 foil.
224 Macedonian Folklore
before him, read the customary prayer, recommending each
particular ox, cow, and calf by name to the mercy of Heaven.
At the mention of the bovine names — such as Black, Red,
Dapple, Moraite, etc., — the officiator was so strongly moved by
the humour of the situation that he could hardly refrain from
bursting into laughter — an emotion in which some of the
farmers themselves were not disinclined to join. But, though
far from blind to the ludicrous side of the affair, they were too
much in earnest about their cattle to interrupt the rite. 1
Another method of delivering suffering cattle from an evil
spirit is the following. A dervish, or Mohammedan mendicant
friar, is called, and he draws a circle round the afflicted herd,
uttering the while some mystic words, or pure gibberish, in an
undertone. He then proceeds to cast amid the close-gathered
cattle a charm consisting of a verse of the Koran sewed up in
leather (nnska). The animal hit by the nuska is the one
harbouring the evil spirit. The nuska is, therefore, hung round
its neck. In the case of sheep, they are likewise circumscribed
with a magic circle, but the nuska, instead of being thrown
at random, is forthwith suspended from the neck of the leader
of the flock.
In the same district I came across several instances of people
who attributed their physical ailments to the malignity of the
" Spirits of the Air " (Ayepi/ca)* An old woman was complain-
ing to me of a chronic low fever. I naturally asked her whether
she had consulted a physician. "What can physicians do?"
she answered, peevishly, "it is an Ayeriko, and physic avails
nothing against it."
The marshes and fens which stretch unchecked over the
valley of the Struma, where the village is situated, are the
prolific nurseries of malaria and other disorders alike fatal to
1 Cp. similar religious services performed on St Anthony's Day in Boman
Catholic countries. The Book of Day$ f vol. i. p. 126.
3 The Turks also regard diseases as coming " from the air" (hawadan) and
to be cured with a nuska containing a verse of the Koran. This prescription is
either worn round the neck as a phylactery, or is burned and the patient is
fumigated with the smoke thereof, or, still better, it is washed in a bowl of water
which is afterwards drunk by the patient. See <'H KupffTavrtvovToXis' by
Searlatos D. Byzantios, vol. i. p. 94.
its and 8p
225
bipedfl and to quadrupeds. But the people are firmly convinced
that these things have nothing to do with the disease, which
canha\* mm* but iral origin — a belief corresponding
to tli d known throughout Northern Europe as elle-
id, elle-vild, and iu some parts of England as elf-shot.
Women belated on the road are ties seized with
Kldd uhkh t a temporary ioaa of gpeeob, moping
ntmrlnem, of DaaligMal ague. These ailments, too, are prompt U
uble aga&ej of an AyerikoJ Recourse is
!i 01 Lhorfjti (lid
I of tiit- iQrhoodj who preteocfa
t-> knee the <\il to iu Bonroe, and b r the exact spot
lixed That part | is sprinkled
petmes, or boiled gn Htive ni
hirit's temper may be sweetened" (yti pi y\v*a8fj
It should be observed that the Mohammedan ministers and
mould enjoy a far higher reputation as widfkn of magical
n than their Christian l es, Lik
ioo*toUen of either m heioqg to the Moh&m*
'lie fact that the
04 being as a rale far more ignorant than I
strongly addicted to sup'
I and pi it may also on the i mi venal
tendency to credit hi tor race with gr-
' rts.*
Tb mpetiton in old
ispeeted relations
I with
accordingly. To thesa sorceresses {patorpaw) the peasants
• reek belief that a ti ancn or *pir itual ecataay *U do» to
the Nymph*, a belief vivi.il> tlhuitraUd by the word* of Boerate* : u Verily tLe
»«mi to be kihI haunt**!. There ft" fl course of oar dweourae
i often ohana? to become entranced (nrjf^*X**ref, lit mitflAf by nymjfM. ■
thou not," PLet. I'h&edr. 2B& o. Tin- Latin epithet /yNtpAtifirtu, frantic, panic
v, *l*o Hmbottim lb* wim* idea an<l accurately describe! the lymptoma
f the A yeriko by the Macedonian*.
• For UJmtration* of thi* principle see TjV **, vol. l
pp. U* foil.
r. 15
226 Macedonian Folklore
often have recourse for the recovery of lost and for the cure
of ailing cattle, as well as for the interpretation of dreams. 1
Also people who believe themselves to be under the influence
of an enemy's witchery (pdyeia) go to these sibyls for a counter-
charm in order to break the first. Their concoctions (madjovn)
are likewise supposed to remove barrenness, to restore youth
and beauty, and to work many other wonderful effects. Their
methods can best be illustrated by a personal experience.
An old Gipsy woman at a fair at Petritz, after having told
the writer his fortune, by looking upon a shell, assured him
that he was the victim of an enemy's curse, and that she had
the means of defeating its operation. It appears that " when I
was leaving my country, a woman and her daughter had cast
dust after me and pronounced a spell." The "casting of dust"
as an accompaniment of an anathema, by the way, is a well-
known practice of Hindoo witches. The Prophetess then
taking me aside offered to supply me, for a consideration,
with a liquid which I ought to make my enemies drink or
to pour outside their door.
These hags provide young people with various philtres which
sometimes are less innocent than pure water. But lovers need
not always resort to a professional magician. There are a few
recipes familiar to most of those who have ever suffered from
an unrequited passion. One of the most popular philtres is to
1 There is little originality in the dreams of the modern Greeks or in their
interpretation. Some of them are interpreted symbolically, e.g. to dream of an
ugly old hag forebodes illness ; a serpent indicates an enemy ; raw (indigestible)
meat signifies trouble. Very often dreams among the Greeks, and in these
remarks I include the Greeks of Macedonia, are interpreted just as among the
Zulus, the Maoris and others, on the principle of contraries, e.g. if you dream
that you are the possessor of a hoard of gold pieces, you are destined to die
a pauper. Lice, which so often go with extreme poverty, on the other hand,
are regarded as omens of wealth. The ancient rule that "he who dreams he
hath lost a tooth shall lose a friend" still holds its place in modern Greek
oneiromancy as it does in the chap-books of modern Europe. See Tylor,
Primitive Culture, vol. i. pp. 122 foil. The dreams concerning treasure-trove
are governed by the same law of secrecy as in Southern Greece. A breach
of this rule involves the transformation of the treasure into coals. Cp.
W. H. D. Bouse, 'Folk-lore from the Southern Sporades,' in Folk- Lore,
June 1899, p. 182. The dream of Saturday night must come true before
Sunday noon.
its and tiffii Us
bed by the follow but effic method:
s and place them in a row upon i grid
over Wltil.* the tithes are broiling, hit them in I
with two small sticks, repeating 1 1
M Av ihrsr Sahea iuv panting, wt tides whom
I love pa&t with long Ott^s Xa^Tapoi)^ ai/T<* t« yfr
(rtri vn \a%rapi}<Ti) tc t) vetfi it OffOfwi
When they are thoroughly charred, pound them in a mortar
and i beta to fine powd t which roueoct a po
and then endeavour to make the maid drink of it
Foi me.
in- official opefatione, which are performed \)\
<i ministers <>f if the ( i
'"iirue to a good many expedients <»n tbeu
int. Anamatnn method ->t curing mild oomplainU» aoch
swollen glands and the lik mil be m — any
ssage from the Bible will do— upon tli k or
neck.
At I ^h<»\vn an old I
unenl It seemed to ha. leal. To
ray • that effect, my batten eagerly repH
" CM i
have be- >!, 1 n marked,
"T lu't be You can't u ,lv. .-, mil. ..
ve answer, and it enlightl
me on the meaning of the void * use." The leaves of the
manuscript wen os of the
fur medicinal pm "*, by soaking them in water, and
ailing part with the juio f, or drinking
the la
LQet aim thai took ti
And awn; th pill. 1
I used in Spring has
atroad) b It should be added hero that
1 Hwtibm*. P*ri I, CmiUi I.
228 Macedonian Folklore
same amulet is considered highly efficacious against agues,
fevers, and sun-strokes. The practice is also very common
among the Russians who sometimes use merely a knotted
thread, sometimes a skein of red wool wound about the arms and
legs, or nine skeins fastened round a child's neck, as a preserva-
tive against scarlatina. 1 The efficacy of these tied or knotted
amulets depends to a great extent upon the magical force
of their knots. 8 This is illustrated by the very important part
played by the 'binding* and 'loosing* processes in popular magic,
and by the prominence given to these knots in the marriage
ceremonies of the Macedonian peasantry described elsewhere.
Another point relating to this amulet and deserving attention
is the fact that in Macedonia it is especially used during the
month of March, that is in early spring. This circumstance
connects it with the other springtide observances dealt with in
a previous chapter, and particularly with the children's Feast of
the Rousa, the object of which it is to ward off scarlatina. 8
A practice not confined to young people is resorted to by all
those who suffer from the irritating little red pimples, which
burst forth upon the skin in the dog-days of a southern summer.
These pimples are known as hararet at Melenik ; elsewhere as
8poT<r!fiLa. Relief from them is sought in a very queer fashion:
the sufferer, male or female, repairs before sunrise to a lonely
spot, where there is a quince-tree, and, standing naked beneath
its boughs, pronounces three times the following formula :
" I want a man and want him at once!" ("Avrpa OeXco, rcopa,
tov 0i\<o) — a phrase which has passed into proverb, applied to
people who will brook no delay.
Then they pick up their clothes and walk off forty paces,,
without looking back. Having reached that point, they stop
and dress. This must be done three days in succession. 4
1 Ralston, Songs of the Russian People, p. 388.
9 On the subject of ' Knots as amulets ' see J. G. Frazer, The Qolden Bough*
vol. i. pp. 398 foil.
8 v. supra, pp. 40 — 42.
4 The formula employed seems to suggest that the ceremony was at one time
confined to women alone. In that case the custom can be connected with
numerous similar customs prevalent in various countries and explained as owing
their origin to "the belief of the fertilising power of the tree spirit." For
ifs and Spiffs
229
The mystic " forty paces" reappear in a recipe against no
m ill than lightning It Efl believed that if one struck by
lightning is immediately removed from the spot, where the
accident befell him, to the prescribed distance, he will recover.
At Ca valla I came across a cup- of rheumatism by
sand-bath. There is a spot a little iray from the beach, to
the east of the town, remarkable for its light colour. It is
• f tine yellowish vtaod which lookfl very much u th
ao6 fffta the bed of a aalt pond, whose waters have 1
evaporated by the sun, A local legend, however, ascribes to it
a miraculoaa origin*
In old. -, it is sji was a shepherd who had a
<>t beautiful white sheep H
-i his sheep, but be tailed to fulfil it. 1 i
i for an punishing him, and
m the shepb
on thtt spot, tending In .nil white sheep, ft n
wavr jp both shepherd and
The spot ; cmained whiu*, and the
transforms! died M sli
Th :mI" (called "AtfTrpoc
"Appo% b he Turks supposed
>le suffering from rheumatism
aud | areeured if on they go I
the waist in the sand In fact
Wi *juite a fashionable health resort,
Turks of the town and environs.*
illuMrationa see J, G ki Golden Bo*$ >>. 185, On the other
hand, viewed *» * euro, \t tuny be compared wii ■ 1; r spread practice of
fcfanafarring 1 ill* la trtti ,]»*eu*.ed by Mr Frwor. voL tV, pp. *M foil.
W.k tin J « many par all tin ameng the caaei C»u4 by
raw.
1 The fait hU»* ippean* it> - - Ttit* promise* of a lamb
•• made lo March, who H*«ifi him«elf nn>rwartU by borrowing three
day* fremi \ytil, m 1{, Inward
* Our M whit* honW
p, Mr To*#r« *<
230 Macedonian Folklore
The cure recommended by the folk-physician for the bite of a
mad dog is to apply to the wound a tuft of hair cut off from the
dog that bit you. This is a relic of the ancient and once world-wide
homoeopathic doctrine, according to which the cause that produced
the harm can also effect its cure (similia similibus curcmtur).
It is mentioned in the Scandinavian Edda "Dog's hair heals
dog's bite," and it also survives in the English expression "a hair
of the dog that bit you/' although its original meaning is no
longer remembered. 1 A bleeding of the nose is stopped by a
large key placed on the nape of the sufferers neck.* In Russia
the sufferer grasps a key in each hand, or the blood is allowed
to drop through the aperture of a locked padlock — a practice
connected by mythologists with the worship of Perun the
Thunder-God.' The key cure is not unknown in this country
also. 4
A small wart, which sometimes appears on the lower eyelid
and which, from its shape, is known as a ' little grain of barley '
(/cpidapdxt, or /epidapiraa), is cured if someone bearing a rare
name barks at it like a dog. 5
Nothing shows more clearly how strong and general is the
conviction that physical ailments are due to non-physical causes
than the fact that in systematic treatises on folk-medicine
among the prescribed remedies are frequently included prayers
and spells. The following are examples, literally translated
from a tattered old MS. which I obtained in Macedonia.
Useful Medical Treatise. 9
The above is the modest title of the MS. which is dateless,
nameless, and endless. So far as the writing is a criterion of
age, the document seems to be the work of an eighteenth
1 Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 84.
9 The same cure is used in America, Bee Memoirs of the American Folk-Lore
Society , vol. iv. p. 99.
8 Balaton, Songs of the Russian People, p. 96.
4 For " superstitions about diseases " and folk medicine generally in England,
see The Booh of Days, vol. i. p. 732.
5 A. A. Towrlov, 4 'H <card rb Udyyaiov Xdpa,' p. 76.
6 For the original Greek see Appendix III.
its tan/ Spelts
Biy scribe, whose identity, however, in the absence of di
[once, must remain a problem unsolved and insoluble. But"
judging by certain points of similarity between t lie hand of the
fit and that of another MS. of a similar nature, bound in
volume, I am inclined to attribute it to the author ol
i who reveals Ins name in an apologetic note appended,
,i\ of postface, at titf em! of lus work; "Hand of
Constantine Rizioti, 1 I physician. If aught be Wl
in the book, eel it right, and giant yont forgiw as to
one M his OH D ir.t ^ides,
i \s inner when ]
The Ms. begins watt) a recipe for sleeplessness, Says I
t. "He who wishes to watch and . : there* in a I
-i.js bird the oysa, and lb
'| likewise, wrap them up in white linen 11
ji nof bt daej
This is followed by p toai unconventional.
Ik won tnach-ache (lit aonl-
kbdocoen, ebildbirtb, hondaoho; for dri
tor pain and
! t pillar n tnd <i.
• »n :
9, M | liar* - Uik' i law from the garden,
salao fire [f] mid fumigate the garden or park, and they will go away/*
i for tootha* i
" In the event of pain in tib make ibis aign, and plant
knife beta* tha aching Kooth, and a*j the'Ooi Father, and the suAra
must aay the * Kyrie elah ■ the first
tooth.
rOod, be will be cured."
1 x«4^ *&9*T9*Tt*mt ptfrbTf *«i rift r^\wyp mrpo{c) *<u i}ti <?^o\*p~ rfor«r«j
232 Macedonian Folklore
There follow recipes for pains in the belly, pains internal
and external, and for vomiting. To these ensues the heading
" For loosing a man who is bound or a woman, write: " but the
prescription does not actually occur till later. Instead of it, we
here get two recipes for ague :
17. " In the event of ague-fever : write upon an apple or pear : ' Holy
Angel, chosen of our Lord Jesus Christ, who presidest over ague and fever
secondary [?], tertian, quartan, and quotidian, break off the ague-fever from
the servant of God So-and-So, in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Ghost."
18. " In the event of fever quotidian and tertian : pound green sow-
thistle, mix it with blessed water of the Holy Epiphany ; spread it well,
and water it, and write on the first day at sunrise upon his right shoulder
' Christ is born ' ; on the second day [likewise] ; also write upon an apple
the Trisagion and the ' Stand we fairly,' 1 and let him eat it fasting."
After these come recipes for preventing the generation of
lice, for knife-thrusts, for hemorrhage, and several other
commonplace complaints, which are followed by the prescrip-
tion :
23. "For loosing a man who is bound: 1 take a knife that has
committed murder, and, when the person who is bound goes to bed, let
him place the knife between his legs, and go to sleep. And when he
awakes, let him utter these words : 'As this knife has proved capable of
committing murder, that is to say, of killing a man, even so may mine own
body prove capable of lying with my wife ; and he forthwith lies with his
wifa"
24. "When one disowns his wedded wife coeatque cum scorto, take
stereos uxoris simile stercoris scorti and therewith fumigate the man's clothes
secretly, and he will straightway conceive an aversion for her. Likewise
in the event of the reverse."
25. " For one possessed of demons : let the sufferer wear the glands
from the mouth of a fish, and let him be fumigated with them, and the
demons will flee from him."
A somewhat similar treatment is recommended for the gout
{podagra). Then comes :
1 These are the words which the deacon says in the part of the liturgy known
as the Anaphora.
* v. supra p. 171 n. Cp. analogous documents from the Aegean W. H. D. Bouse,
4 Folk-lore from the Southern Sporades,' in Folk-Lore, June 1899, pp. 156 foil.
S/nrit.s ami >/
233
M For curing [?] the bit© of serpents and otbeor wild tieasts, and that
tbejr may dog^ but flee from him : pound
I and [/], and strain [?] them well, and then smear with the juioe of
all, and y.Hi 4will niarvH
- To succeed in fishing : let the tisher wear on him sand-fleas,
J he is always si
**To p.* enemies: write the paahn ' Known in .1 n<Ui«iav*
.in bmidqj to drink tiLh-ut; and bi will b*
31 may DOl boOGBM weary rheir
Ult^ refa legs."
3S. "For a start led Mid itighfc dry chestnuts and
Dd left him drink thereof earl;
■ In the i ! ol Josiia,
34, **For eg 9 piece* oj dd write on lb i the
•ho«t
Anon/ And v
I iiim
iOB not le.i
at tl>. Om- nine Tnttfa
lyordi&i eote
OBMtttj, " for I tOOtb fl itln-ul
I, WO
the pail vrbenoe the blood flows,
1 lowing i
advocates of total ab^
11 " r«»r j ifik : put two ounces of
[unfortun
he will not gel Arm
1 1 1 dmIcO a woman have milk d l-umi it
the woman to wit ordrfn]
than tnajrvt not fair thief ur robber : take tbo borb named
atebot»i*"o, in * tin H„|y
wUhe*t to walk, and, « help,
« afraid,"
*ir/#rn p. H& II .
234
Macedo n ia n Folklore
43. ** To stop a serpent coming towards the© : when thou seest it
coming towards thee say these words : * Moses set a javelin, deliverer from
harmful things, upon a column and a rod, in the form of a cross, and upon
it he tied an earth -era wlillg serpent, and thereby triumphed over the enL
Wherefore we shall sing to Christ our God ; for he has been glorifi*
47. u That a woman may become pregnant : take the gall of abe-g
and let the husband smear his body therewith at the moment when he ii
going to lie with his wife."
4ft "In case of a fright : write upon new [wifier : ' Elol
this character <r# ff#, and carry it."
50. fi To cure a woman of hemorrhage write on a piece of papyrus,
and tie it to her UAly with I thread, and say the * Our Fttfchi
following prayer: * The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the <Jod <»f
Jacob, the *hhI wlm .stayed the river Mortham on the Oil <y&lao
the flowing of the blood of thy servant So-and-So, and the seal of our Lord
Jesus Christ, Stand wo fairly, stand we with fear of Qod, Aruen* And
may the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John cure the jkitieut'
Write this on an olive leaf £ I a- x ff w <f> 8"
Several recipes follow for toothache, r\vsnres, and swarms
of ants. Then conies another prescription for the * ( loot
a bound man * :
55, *'Takc cottnu poda and bind them with 12 knots 1 and say
his head: 'In the name of the Father and of the Son and of bbe Bo
Ghost/ an 1 1 alto Mty these words: 4 Let the limbs of So-and-So be set fn
as Lazarus was set free frum the tomb'.' 1
After an uninteresting prescription for earache we have
another cure :
67. M For ague and fever : write on a cup the exorcism : these i
* Christ was born, Christ was crucified, Christ is risen. Our Lord Je
Christ being born in Bethlehem of Judaea, leave, O head-demon, the serva
of God So- ml Sr, ; in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of I
Holy Ghotft, now and ever and in the aeons '."
After two more ordinary prescriptions, the text contii
the favourite subject :
59. '* For the loosing of a man : write these words on a piece of bread,
and give it to him to eat: 'akoel, eisvil, ampelouraa, pertinarias, kame-
nanton, ektilen, ekpeilcn, vriakadedeos, dedeousa. 1 Tosyphasatodios has
discovered this loosing. 11
1 i\ npra p. 170.
Spirits and Spells 235
A remedy for " heat in the head " and two for sore eyes come
next, and then the following charm :
62. " For pain in the breast say this prayer : ( St Eosmas and
Damian, 1 Cyrus and St John, St Nicholas and St Akindynos, who hold
the scythes and cut the pain, cut also the pain of the servant of God
So-and-So'."
63. " When a man is possessed of a demon, or [illegible], or phantasm,
write on [illegible] paper on the 6th day, on a waning moon, and let him
hold it ; also say in his right ear : ' In the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Ghost' This phylactery was given to Moses in Egypt by
the Archangel Michael. Afterwards it was given to King Solomon, that
he might smite therewith every unclean spirit, either of illness, or of fear, or
of fright, or of ague-fever, either tertian or quotidian, or of encounter, or of
temptation, or infernal, or oblique [?], or created by magic, or deaf, or once [?J,
or speaking, or speechless, 2 or of epilepsy, or lying-by, or setting- forth, or of
first and second encounter or of meeting. God is the helper of thy servant
So-and-So. Through Diadonael, ebarras. Preserve in every time, day,
and night, and hour ; preserve him, God, from all mischief and all peril.
God hath reigned in the aeons. Amen. Stand we fairly, stand we with
fear of God \"
Two pages of common prescriptions are followed by a dis-
sertation on the virtues of various herbs, and more prescriptions
for a large number of diseases. Fumigation is again recom-
mended for people troubled with demons or phantasms, and
special herbs are indicated. Then comes a variety of plasters,
and the MS. ends with a fragment of a prescription :
106. " For a man whose wife has run away : write the name of the man
and the woman on paper [half a word\?
The rest, most unfortunately, is missing. 3
1 On July 1st and Nov. 1st (O.S.) is held the feast of these two saints who are
collectively known by the name of Anargyroi (Koapa kclI Aa/uavov tuv 'Avapyupwv).
In Russian mythology these two saints have usurped the functions of the old
Slavonic Vulcan, or divine blacksmith (Kuznets), and are treated as one under
the double name Kuz'ma-Dem'yan. See Ralston, Songs of the Russian People,
p. 199.
9 Cp. " He rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf
spirit, I charge thee come out of him." Mark ix. 25.
* For some more recipes of the same type see Appendix IV.
236 Macedonian Folklore
The Small-Pox.
Somewhat similar to the Scarlatina rite is the treatment
prescribed for the Small-pox. This terrible scourge is both
by the modern Greeks and by the Slavs conceived of, and
personified, as a supernatural female being. The Servians call
her bogine or "goddess," and the Greeks designate her by
various flattering epithets, such as the " Gracious " or " Pitiful "
(XvYXPP^vy)? an d Vloya, a name which is by some con-
sidered a euphemistic term meaning a "Blessing" (BXoyui from
T&vkoyla) ; others, however, take it to mean nothing more than
a vulgar inflammation (eu<j>\oyla). Among the Greeks of
Macedonia both the personification and the euphemism are
emphasized by the term "Lady Small-Pox" (Kvpa BXoyui),
applied to the disease.
She is propitiated in the following manner: A stool or a
small table, covered with a snow-white cloth, is placed beside
the bed in which the patient is lying. Upon it are laid two
or three buns (aifjiiria) and bouquets of flowers, adorned
with gold leaf. The room is kept scrupulously clean and
tidy, so that the " Lady " may not be offended. No spinning,
knitting, weaving, or any other " woman's labour," is allowed in
the dwelling throughout the " Lady's" presence in it; for it is
believed that she likes to repose upon the wool and cotton.
For a like reason there is no washing of clothes with hot water,
lest the steam should disturb the goddess. These negative
attentions are supplemented by the sprinkling of honey over
the walls in various parts of the house, and especially in the
sick-room, that the goddess may taste thereof, and her temper
may contract some of its sweetness. She is further conciliated
in some places by sugar-plums scattered over the stairs, and by
instrumental music, though singing is strictly prohibited. These
efforts at rendering the goddess sweet-tempered are reinforced
by the benedictions used by visitors. Instead of the customary
wish " May the illuess be transient " (irepaaTiick vavai), in case
1 Cp. the Celtic appellation of the Small-Pox, 'the good woman/ J. O.
Campbell, Superstitions of the Highland* and Islands of Scotland, p. 237.
Spirit* and 8p
,.;ilU|M»\ people wish Mnv she b M honey " (/a* to
Ti» i of
ear-inspired i n the li.
but, doI ■rifch making the beat of her
life, they endeavour to speed her depjtrhm
and politely as jm
r 1 1 * Sm;tll-pox w\ 1 1 hi t the village, she axpn
leep and
onid like to he conveyed, rt Th< i thus d<
with honey, salt, and a Bi
g them, before sunrise, at thi
rnic disappears, having a*
I out of the village," '
The Rii ertaio the awkward s hat
easing upon ohildj
rul that whotvel dies of RUttl-pOX "will
walk in i rid iu golden robes 1 * — aeu
t to account for bj
en tlie modern
lisease end tie i
I \(f>nai, with which un
ki that I is
ikin to thai >>t tie- Qenztao Elbe, Bud tie
Elvea, an wired word *i\<£<
Kioni that ti ion
differs Utile 6 ad thai both are pos
with a el;i in her turn
regarded as a Elvea.
wmnmioni of
l>le female, but it does not I towards
The Plague (FT MgtBA*
tion as a gaunt and grit, yes, hair
1 Bfckloo, Song* of the Ruuian People, pp. I
408,
238
Macedonian Folklore
dishevelled, and hollow cheeks. The name irapovtcXa is applied
as a term of abuse to females whose appearance corresponds
with that picture. It m also used as a synonym fur everything
that is filthy and foul :
'A7r* of to xovtcXa, 1
*Att6 fi€<?a wavovtcXa
"Outward fair as a doll,
Within foul as the plague,"
a proverb conveying the same idea as the Biblical
41 whited sepulchres/*
Charms.
Protection against evil is sought in mauy other
the commonest being the use of phylacteries or charms.
Melenlk I was favoured by a gentleman of that town with a
view of a charm of this nature, drawn up by a priest of the
eighteenth century for the use of the present owner's g
grandfather. The document was dated 1774 and consisted of
long strips of paper rolled in a piece of linen and originally
sewed up in a leather bag, which again was kept in a small
silver case. The exorcism begins with a long list of gentlemen
saints and martyrs called upou to protect u the servant of God
Ducas." Then follows an invocation of the *' All-Blessed,
All-Holy Lady Mother of God* to help "the a. of
After this comes another long list of lady saints and martyrs;
of prophets and of all the heavenly hosts of angels and
archangels: dominions, cherubim, and seraphim. These powers
are adjured to ward off many and manifold diseases, difficult to
identify. After a doxology : M Glory be to the Father and to
the Son and to the Holy Ghost/ 1 comes a vigorous and
exhaustive anathema against the enemies of "the servant of
God Ducas":
1 This is one of the very few words of Sift von io origin in modern Greek.
Russian kukla (dim. khkolka) designates any sorb of puppet, or other I
representing either man or beast. By the modern Greeks it is chiefly t
to a feminine doll.
tints at
As the leaders [or messengers, lit. spokesmen] of the
demons were bound and bridled, even so may be bound the
enemies of the s. of <i I).: their tongues, their lips, and their
hearts; their nerves, and their joints, and their eyes to the end
of his life. And, if any of them should assault the s. of G. D«,
bind ye their feet, that they may not be able to run ; bind ye
their hands, that they may nut be able to handle musket or
sword, or to hurl a spear upon the s. of G. D. May the bullet,
which they may shoot at the bl of G. D. t be turned by the herb 1
into cotton -wool and may the Archangel Michael push it aside
to a distance of three fathoms from the s. of G, D., and may
the ft, vt' 0. LX escape scatheless, and may the enemies of the
a of G. D. be bound. As were bound the mouths of the lions
before the holy martyrs, even so may their mouths be bound
before the s. of G. IX May the h're of their muskets become
ether, and their swords cotton-wool. Save, O Lord, the s. of
G. D. and chase away the Eastern and Northern and Western
and Southern del nuns, that they may hold aloof from the
s. of G. D., and in the name of the Great God Sabauth
I exorcise the seventy-two diseases* from which man suffers.
Flee from the s. of G, IX: whether you come down from the
sky, or from a star, or from the sun, or from the moon, or from
darkness, or from a cold wind, or from water, or from lightning,
or from an earthquake, or from a wound, or from murder, or
from valley, or from plain, or from river, or from field ; either
in garden, or orchard, or park, or in the crossing of two or
three roads, or in the way -in or the way-out of a bath, oven,
consecrated ground ; either at a gate or a wicket, in attic or
cellar, threshing-floor, etc/' 3 [The strain continues in picturesque
confusion.]
Next comes an adjuration of more subtle complaints.
II From poison or envy, or jealousy, or from evil shameless
1 This allusion is as obscure as the holy father's grammar and spelling.
Perhaps a miraculous herb accompanied the exorcism originally.
a With the seventy -two diseases mentioned here cp. the seventy-two veina of
the head referred to in a charm against sunstroke from the isle of Cos in
W. H. D. Rouse, * Folk-lore from the Southern Sporades,* Folk-Lure, June
1899, p. 1
3 Cp. a charm against erysipelas ib. p. 168.
240 Macedonian Folklore
eyes, or from sorcery, or any other exalted calamity, or from
Spirit of the Air, or Nereid, or one of those that flit through
the air in darkness and have come to injure the s. of G. D.
O Lord preserve him ! O Lord guard him from rein-disease,
band-disease, etc., etc., etc. I exorcise you all ; for it is not
just that you should attack the s. of G. D." [The writer
concludes with a conscientious, though somewhat tedious
enumeration of all the parts of Mr Ducas's face, head,
limbs, etc.] 1
This extraordinary document — in tone and style so like
parts of the Litany — affords a good illustration of the com-
promise by which Christianity has adopted pagan beliefs too
firmly-rooted to be swept away. The names of heathen gods,
which must have figured in ancient charms of this kind, were
superseded by those of saints and martyrs, of prophets and
angels, and a Hebrew pantheon was established in the place
of the Hellenic. The same process occurred in most countries
where Christianity supplanted an older cult, as for example in
Russia." Although Pan has been chased off the highways of
modern Europe, he is not dead, as has been prematurely reported.
He has only retired to a quiet country life. 8
The Prophet Elijah (Tlpo^T 'HXi'as or "AC 'HAx'a?) who
among the Slavs has inherited the attributes of the Thunder-
God Perun 4 — their representative of the Teutonic Thor — in the
modern Greek Pantheon seems to fill the throne vacated by
the ancient "H\io<?, the Sun, or of Apollo the God of Light.
The highest summits of mountains are generally dedicated
to him and are often chosen for his shrines. He is also, like
Apollo of old, regarded as a Healer — a capacity recognized by
the Church in whose Hagiology he is described as empowered
to "drive away diseases and to purify lepers, wherefore he
1 For extracts from the original see Appendix V.
a Ralston, Songs of the Russian People, p. 363.
8 Mr Tylor, a propos of tree-worship in India observes: "The new
philosophic religion (viz. Buddhism) seems to have amalgamated, as new
religions ever do, with older native thoughts and rites." Primitive Culture,
vol. ii. p. 218. We shall find further instances of this amalgamation in the
case of the wood and water nymphs of the Macedonians.
4 Balaton, Russian Folk-Tales, pp. 337 foil.
Spirits *t*t<1 Spelh
241
showers remedies upoffl ho honour him." (Noaovs
d7ro&tWK€i tcai \€wpov< teaOapi^ei, Bto teal roU rtfiwcrtp axnov
fipvet idfiiara) The snui[:uii\ bi - 'H\ta? and
"H\r Ins identification
Lunatics and all persons possessed {SaifiovurpLevot) are
3i Anthony, whose celebrated
exploits in the field of vision and demoniacal temptation
r fiini an ap pr o priate and duly qualified patron of patients
similarly afflicted. 1
Cripples and tin* blind Im urer in St All-
Merciful ("At IIaj'Te\e>//io*w the popular saying: "Be
they lame, be they blind, they all flock to St All-Merciful."
(KovTaoi a°Tpaffoi '<? rav "A* CUnreXujfiei
St Mod lanos with the humility implied
Doial practice as cattle-d.
and he is deeplj revered by .shepherds and farmers.
held in even bighei m by een-nu-.
Then -mall, upon Greek waters, which
has i s icon in ith BO ever-burning lamp
m boat el small silver-plan d sjiint
attar! oe of storm tin
that instinctively t;^ bi lips of
promised, and i
Poseidon was
bil Ma. 1 Tin I St Elmo which the unci* H
ribed lo ihe Itajtw iStaa/eovpot, titmitti), the tutelar dailies
are by the mod k mariners eaUed TtXwvta
the sailors look upon them a*
of disaster and I Lgbten ihem away b
i r pagan
deities degraded ni the i malignant demooa, a process
bieb ire
! u :A«*kiiitwtetl^. in * f baa tUe one
o<l |0 ili»- »»iiit by the It tht* patron
protector of uothinj? more exalt* A Bum pij*».
t ilrUiU concerning thu Rubaiitutiou of ChrUtuui -»ainu for
god- I »irob »*e Bi Lortqf
,i% pp. 140 foil.
16
242 Macedonian Folklore
Nymphs.
The Ayeriko is only one variety of a group of supernatural
beings included in the generic name of 'Ef&mtfa. Under this
comprehensive head are classed many species of spirits, not
always easy to differentiate. By far the most eminent of them
are the feminine deities known as Neraides (NepdiSe?) to
the Southern Macedonians as well as to the rest of the Greeks,
and as Samovilas to the inhabitants of the northern districts,
such as Melenik — a name curiously compounded of two Slavonic
words Samodiva and Vila. In default of a more accurate
equivalent, we may call them Fairies, though, as will soon
appear, they differ in many important points from the beings
so designated in Northern Europe. These nymphs of modern
Greek mythology are very closely related to the Naiads,
Hamadryads, and Oreads of classical antiquity on one hand,
and to the Rusalkas of the Russians, the Vilas of the Servians,
and the Samodivas of the Bulgarians on the other. They are
represented as tall and slim, clad in white, with flowing golden
hair, and divinely beautiful, so much so that the highest
compliment which can be paid to a Greek maiden is to compare
her in loveliness to a Neraida — a form of adulation not neglected
by the Greek lover. 1 In the same way " lovely as a Vila " is a
common expression among the Servians. 2 In malice the Greek
Neraides equal their Servian sisters. In an amatory distich
the outraged swain can And no stronger language, in which to
denounce his sweetheart's cruelty, than by addressing her as
"a Neraida's offspring." 3
The beauty of these southern fairies is fatal to the beholder,
and many are the stories told of people who, by exposing them-
selves to its fascination, were bereft of speech, or otherwise
suffered. The dumbness of an old man near Nigrita was put
down to an early encounter of this kind. He was returning
home one night across the fields, when he perceived, under a
1 See Passow, Disticha Amatoria, No. 692.
8 Ralston, Songs of the Russian People, p. 147.
* Passow, ubi supra, No. 653.
Spirits and Spell*
243
tree bj 1 1 1 * * path -side, a young woman adorned with pier*
gold (<f>\ovpt<ii sueh as are usually worn by peasant maxs
»ked "like a bride n (<rav vvfa) and
was exceedingly fair. But no sooner did the peasant accost
_ue was tied**
($€$*€ f} *yKSi<T<rd r), and rem r after. You si,
on DU aeeount speak to B | it you do, kflfl away
your voice*' (ac irtilpvet nj tptatn]), A similar opinion was
held in England regarding the Fain that speaks to
says FalstatV.'
orth, these beings are all of
form no i i rally lea lated
travel let-
in Macedonia often lefee newly-built fountains decorated with
11 or wool threads of many oelotlTB. These threads are
torn farera from their dress on seeing the fountain ft
the tir^t time. They a! slaked their
of the fount
tokens of gri aph, to like cnannei
the pea&a Rusalkas bj hai
on the boughe es rags ami sk%UH ol thread* ;
Ifriea ad
road i this all
^ui nm\ ffjananta <»f ti q the
habit village with a fringe
of straw and paper, 1
All Us, all i ;ees, are baunl
•
Suppress tht*ir cull. In -
I the j m.i an saints
I the old pa springs in M
da para )
1 Hhakecpeara, Merry I
> Unl* Urn , Son t u of the It* ! 4 1 .
Mnuro Chftdwick, The <}ak and the lhu> \ tit hropologioal
:*ll* and IjclamL Jai
244 Macedonian Folklore
dedicated to St Friday CA71A Uapaafcevrj) and St Solomon6
among feminine saints, or to St Paul and St Elias among their
male colleagues. The water of such springs is regarded as
efficacious against diseases, especially eye-complaints. They
are generally enclosed within a stone parapet, and sometimes
roofed in, as a protection from accidental pollution. Even
so stood enclosed the "fair-flowing fountain built by man's
hand, whence the citizens of Ithaca drew water," and close
to it "an altar erected in honour of the Nymphs, upon
which the wayfarers offered sacrifice." 1 Like the Homeric
" fountain of the Nymphs," many a modern ' holy spring ' is
overshadowed by " water-bred poplars," or broad-leaved fig-trees,
and weeping willows.
With regard to the Neraides as tree-spirits, the precise
relation of the nymph to the tree is not easy to define.
It is not clear whether the Macedonian folk look upon these
spirits as dwelling in the trunks of the trees, animating them,
as a man's soul animates his body, or whether they regard the
trees as simply affording shelter to them. 9 The latter view
seems to be the one most commonly held. Be that as it may,
trees are most^ sincerely believed to be the haunts of nymphs,
and this belief leads the peasant to many curious acts of
omission and commission. Labourers working out in the fields
are careful not to He down in the shade of a tree. They
especially eschew the plane, the poplar, and the fig-tree ; for
these are the favourite abodes of fairies. It is beneath the
foliage of these trees that they love to repose at midday, and
ill fares the mortal who dares disturb them. It is related
that many, who, neglecting this rule, sought a refuge from the
scorching rays of the midday sun under such a tree, had reason
to rue their temerity. The fairy is apt to resent the liberty by
inflicting a stroke upon the offender. This penalty is known
1 Horn. Od. xvii. 206-211.
8 The same ambiguity attends the worship of tree-spirits in aU lands.
According to one theory the spirit is viewed by the believer " as incorporate in
the tree." "But, according to another and probably later opinion, the tree
is not the body, but merely the abode of the tree-spirit." J. G. Frazer, The
Golden Bough, vol. 1. p. ISO.
Spirits amd spill* *J4;*
as ogratimtm. The person who has incurred the displen
of the supernatural tenant, 0? guardian spirit, of the tree can
only fttone i'*>i pass by a apt Thin coii
in sprinkling honey round the trunk of and in
ing at it 1 - TOtA ;i number of small §weet cakes «i for
purpose. It is believed that the nyrnph on partaking of
ffifioe will be appeased and restore the patient
to health.
In close analogy to this supers* it inn he belief of the
uts, according to which Jtod from l»is labours at
noon-tide t» shepherd, foi us, lis not meet to
play the pipe at ttiddaj, W€ feai Pah . for in very truth at
that hour In | limbs from the hii'jio of the
baiafa and O rce wrath ever sits upon
his nose!" 1 Similar!) the Loeatiam al tin present day hold
bat ilka — appears in the
i\ noon, holding i sickle in hoi hand. 1
It is a well-established fact th ind houses and all
tweltingfl At of a relatively
it remote (brefatb itent
to live and die beneath th je of the
An •■ if unconscious, rcmi-
DOC f tl rdial state of the human I
in a iian rap
B of the houses {dtrrptxiati) — which OOf W p O nd to the
ootapreai > v^hs — are believed by the Macedonians to be
haunted by Nymph*. V>v tin- ,->t lawful to
eomxnil .» miimni them. Thai the Nyatpbi are made
tlAI the d polioenn st effectively.
Ins disobedience with a broken limb ^r
other equally u« mVypaTtV-
The prevailing kfl, habits, and charn<
Inniati N well illustm i widely-
kn<- rd a1 M-h-nik.
* JUUtoo, 8on$$ 0/ thr Umrtm People, p- H7,
246 Macedonian Folklore
The Shepherd and the Nymphs.
There was once a shepherd who one moonlit summer night
tended his flock in a meadow. Suddenly he was startled by the
sound of many musical instruments, such as drums and pipes,
in the distance. The sounds drew nearer and nearer, and at last
there appeared before him a long chain of maids dressed in long
white robes and dancing to the tune. The leader of the dance
{irpcDToavpros;) was a youth carrying in one hand the wooden
wine-flagon (plotska or tchotra) used by the peasants. He
halted in front of the shepherd and held the flagon out to him.
The shepherd accepted the offer, but before proceeding to raise
the flagon to his lips, he, according to the custom of the
country, made the sign of the cross. When lo and behold !
both dancers and leader vanished, the music ceased, and the
shepherd was left alone, holding in his hand in lieu of the
flagon a human skull ! His piety saved him from any con-
sequences more serious than a wholesome fright.
One is strongly tempted to see in this legend a lingering
memory of the Muses and their chorus-leader Apollo.
A story of a similar type was told me on another occasion
at Cavalla by a native of Chios. There is in that island a bridge
called the Maid's Bridge (ttj? /copy? to y€<f>vpi) and popularly
believed to be haunted by a Water-Spirit. Early one morning
a man was crossing the bridge on his way from the village of
Daphnona to the capital city (^c6pa), when he met a tall young
woman dressed in white. She took him by the hand and made
him dance with her. He was foolish enough to speak and was
immediately struck dumb. He recovered, however, some days
after, thanks to the prayers and exorcisms of a priest.
One more feature these nymphs have in common with our
Fairies, and that is their propensity to carry off new-born
children. On this practice, and the means used to avert the
danger, I have dwelt at some length in a former chapter. 1
Here I will try to make the conception of the Nymph a little
more vivid by relating another story from Melenik.
1 v. supra, p. 125.
'ttnl SjH'fts
The Prince and the Nymph.
There was ouug prinoe who had a mother, and who
without htr knowledge maintained relation* with the sylvan
dwell in the pa lace- garden. lb
was wedded to i e nor any of
her compani * the prinoe to hold oral com-
eation with n with his own
LOl would ihe\ allow him t tal into
mother! not knowing the
behavioor, was deeply digtresued, ami bad t (Head
of h laughters exqttisitek iful She
Hin hoin wail mi the
hat he might be indnoed by
edib to break his silence. But all her were lb
He remained dumb. The prime's mother then brought to the
palace flu second daughter; but she Wafl equally unsuccessful
maiden- r.> i.,k
Her request was gri
<>n the pi -lie made his bed. united bam at h
hud | him, but >ln
bet a k ii<) addressed
be? i '1 at the
bad itiooeeded in mug
the jrouth*8 feacil uroity and cai lum 1
•I ami happ\. 1 he 'lav .she beg
i to ask j n from the prinoe for herself and her
to take a walk in the garden. Tie- mud on bearing thus
plun -in in \rr hoped to loosen the
in and out <»f the room in very
low spirits. Tin pi ■ | been Ihecinatod bj
n in speak to
in has been said before,
address a him 1 s;u<l ; r candle-
stick, wli. b00 W> sud '"
Tip readirj iota
M\ dear candlestick, 1 sad b<scaust thy mother want*
If and me to take a walk in tl
248 Macedonian Folklore
The prince replied :
" My dear candlestick, you have my permission to go and
walk in the garden to-morrow morning ; but you must quit the
grounds before the sun rises."
On the morrow, long before dawn, the prince's mother,
accompanied by the maid and several female servants, entered
the garden and walked about admiring its many beauties, for
the Nymphs tended it. When the sun was on the point of
rising, they hastened to depart; but ere they could reach
the gates the sun burst upon them. As they were drawing
near the gates, they perceived a child's cot hanging from a
tree, and in the cot there reposed a beautiful baby. Then
the maid took off the red gauze kerchief, which she wore
folded across her bosom, and covered the baby's face with it,
in order to protect it from the rays of the sun. Soon after
this they quitted the garden.
The prince later in the day came to the garden; for he
was compelled to spend most of his time with his nymph-wife
and her friends. The latter was so deeply moved by the maid's
kindness to her baby, that she gave the prince leave to break
his silence and marry the fair maid, and all at once both she and
her nymph-companions vanished from the gardeu, carrying off
the baby with them. The prince, elated with joy, returned to
the palace, embraced his mother with tears in his eyes, and
explained the cause of his long silence. He solemnized his
wedding with the poor maid, and they lived happy ever
after.
In this story another trait common to the Gaelic sithche or
Fairy is brought out, namely the anxiety of the nymphs to form
connexions with mortals who are held in love's sweet bondage
sorely against their will. 1 These misalliances were familiar to
the nymphs of old, but they never prospered. The reader will
remember the romantic attachment of Kalypso, the fairy-queen
of Ogygeia, to the elderly homesick hero, who scorned her love
and all her promises of perennial youth and immortality, longing
1 Cp. J. G. Campbell, Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland,
p. 41.
Spirit* ami Spills
249
for nothing but his middle-ao we and the rugged hi
of his native isle. 1
From the above sketch it will be seen that the Maeedoni
nymphs, though they beer a cert;) lemUaao
the Cdtic Fairies, arid I Rusalkas, Vilas and
SamuHivas, are n.'all -.it hern N <
win), notwithstanding a likeness to the beings just
toned, haw an individuality of - n and are fully
to be regarded as direct dantfl d the clasi
Nymphs. 1 It was n ours©, to be expect the
uld hav red, nod we ac*
i ugly find that it baa undergone such modifications as
ipse of time end inf with other nations wen
bring about. The p point of dii: (he
old end ill.- ut -w nymph is one of character, TIp- DMM
is as a l represented .is a malioionfl r
to be propiti r .1 failing that, to
an a spirit. This degeneration is mail probably due
to tht- inftneaoe of Chi v. The Nymphs have shared the
>f their betters, tl i r gods and goddesses ol ant iq
Then when Id not possibly or Don ly be
aboli- ferred to n Nymphs,
ill dethroned deities, have Ijad to sink t-> the lev*
demons: discredit a god an«i moral
/-Ny^-r,/.v and u riu.
In addition to the Nereides, the M ins recognize I
of varum ural belt
Tcw^cm). The won! ^ense of the
primary elements — namely* fire, water, air aud earth —
of Plato/ The Neo-Platonists aubse-
l& foil.
* S«P Totor, Rrs**rekt* in tht Hij
IUUton, Sony* of thr A'u.i ran Pr t pU ,
mm the M frto*T* or * rvau ' of 1
hlamUof Tnrkty, vol. o. p, 311; Bcrahani
Ken und d*4 httimUeke Altrrthum, pa
prof mm) toindod. lh
tif n venue, ' VUu ii. These
252 Macedonian Folklore
noise at that place. If the " Passage " is to be regarded as
the work or the vehicle of demons, it is bound to stop on the
bank of the stream as no demon can cross " running water."
It should be noticed, however, that the gust is said to rise from,
and to sink into, places connected with the memory of a Turk;
and, knowing as we do what is the Christian belief concerning
the ultimate fate of a Turkish soul, we may reasonably surmise
that the " Passage " is due to the joint efforts of the two dead
Turkish worthies Murat and Ali. That it is the work of evil
spirits none can be such a sceptic as to dispute. The fact rests
on the unimpeachable authority of an old woman of the village
who assured the writer in the most confident and confidential
manner imaginable that her own father, " peace to his soul !"
(0€o? axoap&a rov) t once as the wind was rushing through the
village actually saw amid the clouds of dust a child carrying a
pitcher on either shoulder — a feat of which no ordinary child is
capable. He pursued the apparition (<f>avraafia) down to the
river-side and there lost sight of it — it vanished as a thing
of air.
These manifestations correspond very closely to the gambols
of the Lyeshy, or wood demon, of Slavonic mythology. He is
said to be very fond of diverting himself after a similar fashion
in the woods. " At such times he makes all manner of noises,
clapping his hands, shrieking with laughter, imitating the
neighing of horses, the lowing of cows, the barking of dogs
sometimes by night a forest-keeper would hear the wailing of a
child, or groans apparently proceeding from some one in the
agonies of death." 1
It would not be difficult to fill a volume with stories
illustrating the various forms under which these wicked spirits
appear to the eyes of men. A caravan, it is said, was one night
going to Yenidj^, a town to the west of Salonica. On the way
they were joined by a little dapple dog (o-kvXAki 7rap8a\o),
which, coming no one knew whence, kept worrying the mules.
One of the muleteers mustered sufficient courage to dismount
and try to catch it; but he failed ignominiously. This hap-
pened several times, and every time, as soon as the man
1 Balaton, Songs of the Russian People, p. 157.
and Spells
etched out hi* band, the dog melted into air (yeW
i It dul it- the petty m
the baokfl of the Vardar and then it vaniel
A peasant ut Qaiati&ta, in the Chalcidic U, wa&
{orpa^otTPix^) and was said to
rnity to a similar accident. One evening, aa he
talking borne from the fields, be • I what be took to h
a harmless, though erring, goat, browzing in If
ipproeehed it and was lifting mal on his shoulder,
ndable intent when
the goat melted b leaving Ua captor :«
of th
Another peasant told Bkfl Be
one daj alighted with l idei under a fig rhieh
-e to a "Hoi j Spring" dedicated bo & Friday, All
of a sodden a ball of ootitetMfPool qmag from die pound
and rolled down the ilop 3 it itcq
and shot up QoloDUL Then U !■ *I for a while
All these fcatee embody ideas familiar r« » the stm:
oompacatm folk-Ion. Pot Instance, the inability of .some
of the appai j stream M
is a ^ I spirits and Bp the
raw
iter;
it moot, Meg,
There ii- *ta,
A rumung strain tit*
A similar ■nperstit io p
known In
ink and fell,
to H wood W.
Iweolved the *i-
if**- lie to
M of tfu Highlands and UhtmU of Scotland,
p, 50.
\iw fobUit p»4te, TV Lay <>/ f A/ L**f HiartNJ, a 0. IS*
256 Macedonian Folklore
He on whom the lot will fall, let him go in."
The lot falls on John, tfre youngest.
They bind John and let him down :
"Draw, dear brothers, draw me out,
Here there is no water; but only a Spirit."
"We are drawing, John, we are drawing; but thou stirrest not,"
" The serpent has wound itself round my body, the Spirit is holding me.
Come, set the Black One also to help you."
When the Black One heard, he neighed loud,
He reared on his haunches to draw him out.
When he drew out his arms, the mountains gleamed.
He draws out his sword also, and the sea gleamed.
They drew out John together with the Spirit,
They lifted their knives to cut it asunder,
But instead of cutting the Spirit they cut the rope,
And John falls in together with the Spirit :
"Leave me, brothers, leave me and go home,
Do not tell my dear mother that I am dead,
Tell her, brothers, that I am married,
That I have taken the tombstone for a mother-in-law,
Black Earth for a wife,
And the fine grass-blades all for brothers and sisters-in-law. " l
In the ballad of The Haunted Welly as the reader may have
noticed, there occurs a curious, though by no means •uncommon,
blending of ideas. The Spirit or Demon of the Well is con-
founded with the Water-Serpent. This confusion between the
spiritual water-demon and the material water-monster pervades
the folk-lore of many nations : " it runs into the midst of
European mythology in such conceptions as that of the water-
kelpie and the sea-serpent." 2 We shall meet with still more
flagrant instances of it in dealing with the mythical being
Drakos.
But ere we cross the fine line which divides the regions of
living belief from those of idle mythological fiction, we must
1 The sentiment contained in the last four lines is a commonplace of modern
Greek folklore. The last two lines especially are repeated verbatim in many
a ballad : op. Passow, No. 381 last two lines ; No. 380 last line ; <&c. It will be
observed that the concluding two lines in the original of the above piece are in
the fifteen-syllable ballad-metre, whereas the rest of the poem is in a twelve-
syllable metre.
2 Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. n. p. 210.
Spirits and Spells
267
EHentlQD ;t DO vhi.h, likr the Water-Spirit tally
Bapp haunt Wells, and fountains. This is the
Black Gil ieroon of Oriental origin who
lures the guileless to destruction
example, by assuming the form of a fair maid. He is a b
most mim • i. Iv dreaded by the peasantry, and, though not half
♦pular as the Water-Spirit, he is to be met with here and
At !>♦ i v 1 1 1 .if ii. a village in the island of Chios, then* is
a spi ise the common Greek expression, a * water*
mother * (fiava rov vepav, Plaghia.
This spi i d to be the haunt of a Black Giant,
lativrs have man tures of the usual type to relate.
The Irotxeto and the 'ApAicqi may be described as Kin
Spirits in ei se of the term.
Besides the spirit denizens of woods and waters, the
Ionian peasant owns his belief in a class of apiritfl which
make themselves at home in the ordinary human habitations,
He has no special IIMM fat them, hut calls them ^TOi^cm, and
the house " haunted" h\ *pt*Q CTrirt. 1
domestic may be divided into two categories. First,
b are the malignant spirits, which ikit— innaHj di-
ibera of the household by n rrible noises, by
bricks and stones down tin* chimney, by sitting <>n
-ts m the form of a hideous nightman
'shadow ' (form or icr/ctMpa), 1 and by teasing and worrying the
inmates of tiV t treasonable In mi >. . m i<> U-
rhr disembodi who havi *»th ft violent
b, or whose mortal rein retly,
1 Tin Macmlnntan women are in the hahit of flaying to thsir children 1 '* Do
f<m» ww yimri fak at r\e*w*ii). M. X luxu^r. 'Ofljprt/ |j, 84. From thin it
appears that the shadow is by thr M acinic* maun, a* by «o many other races,
!iod with the soul (s*c J. G. Fra/ i, vol 1 j»j« 966
and a* "in* aool of a flieeper ft suppo»#d to wander away from hi* body"
»u anger it, i| may return and punish you in the form of a
aar* (wXa«w#9 in iu technical sense).
17
258 Macedonian Folklore
without the usual funeral rites. Such persons become ghosts
(o-Toixeiobvovv). They roam restlessly about and visit their
old haunts, inspired with an intense longing for revenge. This
idea, so strongly held by the ancient Greeks and Romans,
survived through the middle ages into modern Europe; but
at the present day it finds its most emphatic expression in
the practices of savage races, such as the natives of Australia,
North and South America, North and South Asia, etc. 1 The
belief fully accounts for the extreme horror with which the
modern Greeks contemplate the possibility of a body being
denied Christian burial. It is partly this fear that makes exile
so abhorrent to the Greek, and the danger of dying in a remote
country or being shipwrecked at sea, far from those whose duty
it is to accord to the remains the funeral rites, is frequently
dwelt upon in the "Songs of Farewell" (FpayovBia tt}?
SevireLas).
The malevolent spirits belonging to this category can only
be expelled by a religious ceremony. The papas, or parish
priest, is summoned. He reads a special service over a bowl
of water in which, thus sanctified (aytaa-fio^), he dips a cross
and a bunch of basil, and with this brush besprinkles the
dwelling, charging the while all evil and unclean spirits to
depart. But it sometimes happens that the demons defy
prayers, and, in spite of holy water and exorcisms, persist in
vexing the inhabitants. In that case the house is deserted
and henceforth shunned as 'haunted.'
Far different in disposition and behaviour are the spirits
known and cherished as ' masters of the house ' (voitco/cvpTjSe*:
rov o-ttltiov). They are supposed to be the ghost-souls of
ancestors still lingering in their old home and watching over
the welfare of their posterity,* according to a universal doctrine
which " is indeed rooted in the lowest levels of savage culture,
extends through barbaric life almost without a break, and
survives largely and deeply in the midst of civilization." 2
These benignant beings manifest their presence at night by
1 Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. n. pp. 27 foil.
* Tylor, ib. pp. 24 foil.
Spirits and Spells 259
treading softly on the floor, which creaks under their ghostly
footsteps.
The Macedonian spirits of the latter class are in all pro-
bability the degraded descendants of the Manes and Lares
of classical antiquity, and the kindly feelings with which they
are regarded may be the attenuated relics of ancient ancestor-
worship. To these remnants of classical cult was perhaps at
a later period superadded a coating of Slavonic colour.
In both the foregoing classes of spirits the English reader
will recognize close relatives of the familiar ghosts, which haunt
many an English house and form the subject of many a con-
versation, and of an occasional angry controversy between
believers and sceptics. The Teutonic Brownie and the Celtic
Qlaistig are also branches of the same genealogical tree —
a tree whose boughs may justly be said to overshadow the
universe. But a closer relationship can perhaps be established
with the Domovoys of the Russian peasant which, like their
Macedonian cousins, are of two kinds: benevolent or male-
volent, according as they belong to his own family or to that
of his neighbour. 1
1 Ralston, Songs of the Russian People, pp. 129 foil.
17—2
CHAPTER XIV.
MACEDONIAN MYTHOLOGY.
The Drakos.
It is extremely difficult — much more so than folklorists
sometimes imagine — in investigating the folklore of a country
to fix with absolute certainty where real superstition ends
and pure mythology begins. The peasant story-teller, though
conscious of the fact that he is narrating a myth, is all the
time more than half inclined to believe that the world which
he describes is not an improbable world, that in the mysterious
" times of old all things were possible " (\ top Trakyov tcrjpo S\a
yevovvrav). This was the expression with which one of that
class once silenced my prosaic attempts at criticism. He went
even farther, and, having once confessed his own belief in the
historic truth of mythological creations, launched forth into
a tirade against some " learned men and schoolmasters " (ypap-
fiaTL<Tfji€voi feed SaerKaXoc) of his acquaintance, who were so
stupid as to deny that there ever were such beings as the
Lamia and the Drakos. His words, which I quote from notes
taken down at the time, will perhaps be of interest to the
student of peasant psychology :
"Why," he exclaimed in accents of triumph, "I myself
remember seeing, as a child, monstrous horned snakes swarming
on yonder plain {irkpa \ top itapmo). Where are they now ?
There also used to be lions and bears; but they have dis-
appeared before modern guns. The same thing must surely
have happened to the Lamias and the Drakoi."
Both these monsters may be said to dwell in the debatable
borderland between the two worlds : Faith and avowed Fiction.
Macedonian Mythology
261
The Drakes (Apd/cos or Apa*opTa?) can be »1 I as
a cousin-germau to the Black ly disposed of. Like
him h»- haunts the vreUa called &p€uewipia\ and
miaehief on the people by withholding tin This habit
of the monster is ailu 'lowing lines, which form
the beginning of a song hoard at Nigrita:
KttTU) 10, Kara* \ rov ' \i W'oprpi
WavrjyvpLTcrt y€VQtnai\ ptya\o Traiijyvpt.
To iravTfyvpt 1 tap fiixpo ** r) irXdarj rap peyaXr).
KpaT€i o Apt'iKO? to J'epo, &t>}ra ro TTapiyyvpi,
\t\fra teat pta dpftomwaa wovrap dito0apv^.€Vf},
■
fair.
The s|tACC Wl Md the irowd VII largo.
the water und the poople were nth
ret whs aJso a lady who was hem Uild.
A limil&r oinmmsl rms the groundwork of a little tale
i
a*?
upon a ' i wedding, The
• bdtr \\,iy bO tJi- who
J in a iieighbouriag village, Tt* iiere safely; but
on il back, w| <ldle of the road,
l«» and heboid I khan the prooewieo a Drakos.
vas a lame one, ill h^ was terrible. ll»
hold them for half an hour in a ruvi (be intention of
hurting them, who lufcOWl I perhape m .iting them* The
ill paialjfied with fear The Uide alone retained
her presence of mind. She bethought hereelf of a means of
escape, and stepping forth stood in front <>i tin. monster
and said:
Brid*: 1 aw Lightning V child, Thunder'* gr I
I aw the Hurler fif Thunderbolt*, nhe who flafthee and booms.
It will b« a e tf o rf ««'%t i\w w<>nl h used in thret Mans: /air, the plot*
i the fiui it held. K nd the j>fopJ* ftt the fair,
<\A^icd Uft^ftM^ift/ Athena, L NicoUiden. 1899, Part I. p. 68*
262 Macedonian Folklore
Once when I flashed I burnt up forty Dragons,
One was left, a lame one : can that be your lordship ?
Dragon: I am ha
Bride: Stand aside, friends, that I may flash and burn him up.
Dragon (frightened): Come, pass on ; come, go your way ; good luck to
your wedding. 1
So thanks to the bride's cleverness they all escaped.
In another popular legend, a bridegroom had bound himself
by a solemn vow to go to a Dragon and submit to be treated
as breakfast. I translate the version of the story current at
Liakkovikia. 8
B. Wherefore art thou sad, Yanni, and rejoicest not?
Perchance thou art displeased with me, my person or my portion!
(7. I am pleased with thee, my Fair One, both with thy person and
with thy portion ;
But the Dragon has asked me to go to breakfast.
B. Whithersoever thou goest, my Yanni, thither shall I come with thee,
G. Where 1 am going, my Fair One, no maid can go.
B. Whithersoever thou goest, my Yanni, thither shall I come with thee,
I will cook for thee thy dinner, I will spread for thee thy mattress.
G. Where I am going, my Fair One, no maid can go.
There is nor cooking nor eating ; nor mattress-spreading nor sleeping
there.
So the two set forth to go, like a pair of pretty doves,
And they found the Dragon leaning against the fountain.
When the Dragon espied them, he said in high glee :
D. Double has come my breakfast, double has come my dinner!
When Yanni heard this, he said to his Fair One :
1 mtfnj
"'Ey&fwu ti AffTpairijt. xaiM, rijs ppovrapas tyybvi,
f Eyu>fiai darpcLTdpokos V d<TTpd<pTw teal firovfirvlfa.
Mid <popd adv tarpaxj/a a a parr a Apdic' ovX r's ^Kaxj/a'
"Evas Kovnrbs drSfiw fixas k etff* ^ dfcrrctd <rov; M
Apdxos
"'Eyw/juu."
" Ilapa/tepaT , avfiredcpol, v darpdxj/ic yd rw /cctyw."
Apdxos
(In his fear he apparently forgets the fifteen-syllable metre, and answers lamely)
"'AiVre, repaire, &'rre *i rb kclK6, Kakopplfuc' ^ Xapa aw."
3 A. A. Tovciov, *Ta T pay 0681a rrjs TiarplSos fiov 1 No. 130, '0 Apd/carras.
Cp. Passow, Nos 509, 510, which refer to the same subject, treated in a different
manner.
Macedonian Mythology
6\ Did I DOt tell thee, ray Fair Ol
with me?
.
tgons have I eaten up, and this one will he the tenth.
When tin- Dragon heard this bs WM mnrtaUy af r |
A Pray, friend Vuiiiii, WOOBQ daughter is she?
The Fair One answer* [00 said :
/»" I am [ightaii
If I like, 1 may Hash and tin in thee on th«
■hoi and thundered and overwhelmed the Dragon on the q
In these legends the Drakoe I is a large unooath
monster akin to the Troll of Noree, the Ogre of BOOtfa
the Giant of our own folk-tales. His simplicity of mind is
equal to his might, and be outwitted. Indeed, the
Drakdi oomparee most unfavourably with the Devil of the
Bible and the Konm, He has none of the sub the
pter of Hebr n tradition, or of the Moham-
:i Afrit, who is considered the embodiment of oh vernese,
sm iiiih'Ii s«. that to cell one djrxt is the highest compliment
a Mohammedan v to one's intelligence.
His similarity to the T - accentuated by the
1 1 is also
performer of tes f human
La in Ireland, for example, we hear of a Giant's
in Macedonia m DrakosV v
(toP ApttKov to Bp/tfu) — a big stone to the south of Nignta .
a M Drakos's il" (17 fytcvapta rov \pnKov) — a mound
of earth near the other monument; a **Drakt^> Tomb" (rov
Apd/cov to pvrjfiapi) — a rock in the same neighbourhood, in
which peasant imagination detects a resemblance to a high-
capped dervish, resting against the slope of the lull; and a
"Dmkoe'fl Quoite" (Spa/coTrrrpat^) 1 — two solitary rocks standing
nd of C*ryntoe Wjrean, t\w prostrate H el tenia
SShnaiW in the n« i^hboarhood of the city irv said to have been Hung down
from above* by the Drakoe.
ich deeoenda precipitously into the sea, 1* call«-«i
reaembUose lo Ibi ptaoti *
women wnah their cfathn *rkry,
toh IL p. m*
264 Man-ilonian Foil Ion
in the plain of Be ires, not far from the village of LiakkovikuL
Concerning these rocks is told the following tale :
The Princess a ad the Two Dragons. 1
There was once in the country a king who had an only
daughter. She was a lovely* beautiful maiden, and her name
was Photeinfe. Two princes in the neighbourhood were
enamoured of her. They both were marvellously tall and
strong, and men culled them Dragons, The king feared
them greatly. One day they both came to Princess Phot.
father a <1 for his daughters hand. The king, 01
hearing the itbjeet *<i (heir visit, was seized w T ith alarm
and knew not what bo do, For he feared lest, by pre-
ferring one of them, he should incur the wrath of tin
other. He suddenly bethought himself of this plan He
proposed to his daughter's suitors to throw the quoit, sayiug
that the one who beat the ether should become Photcine
husband. They agreed with pleasure, and they each took
up a rock of an equal size and flung it with all their
might from the same spot. But neither of them won; for
the rocks both fell in the same place. Photeines father then
bade them build each a castle of the same size, saying that
the one who finished his first, should take his dau_
for wite. Again the lovesick Giants began and ended
task at exactly the same time, They then decided to engage
in single combat. They fought with so great a fury that
both fell. When the Princess Photeine heard that these brave
suitors had fallen victims to their love for her, she grieved
profoundly and resolved to live and die a maiden. She n
to a lonely part of her father's dominions, and there spent the
remainder of her life in saintly seclusion.
The Drakos when conceived of as a giant sometimes has
a spouse (&pdtcatva or Apa/c6vri<raa) f quite as big, strong, and
stupid as himself. The family is occasionally increased by a
number of daughters who are remarkable for size, strength
1 A. A. rWioi', |, H Kara rb U&yyatoy X^a/ pp. 27 foil.
Macedon tan Mythology
:>65
and partiality for human flesh, and who inherit their parents 1
abundant lack of wit.
But the Drakes is very frequently identified with the
serpent {hpdtcmv, * dragon '), out of whom he was possibly
evolved in the course of time. The Scythic Nagas are similarly
confounded with serpents, 1 while in Russian folklore the Snake
"sometimes retains throughout the story an exclusively reptilian
character; sometimes he is of a mixed nature, partly srrpent
and partly man. 1 " In Albanian mythology also the Negro, who
COn«apon<Ja to the Greek Black Giant and, like the latter, owes
his origin to the Arabian Nights, absorbs and is in his turn
absorbed by tin.' -erpent, while in Wallachian folk-tales the
serpent element has superseded entirely the giant attributes,
and the Wallachian dragon, like the Russian Zmyei, 3 appears
in all the monstmus glory of wings and claws, breathing fire
and threatening nan to all whom it may concern.
Mythologists agree in regarding the Drakos as a member
of a large family of children of death, darkness, and natural
forces host tie t<> man. The Drakos is said to embody the idea
of a thunderstorm ,* and from that point of view he may be
considered as the modern representative of the ancient Python
slain by Apollo, even as the thunder-cloud is dispelled and
destroyed by the rays of the Sun. On the other hand, two of
the legends given above rather suggest that the Drakos is a
personification of the drought and therefore dreads the Bride,
who wields the powers of thunder and lightning. But where
all is so dark it would be rash to be dogmatic.
The Lamia.
The Lamia (\dfita) is connected with the Drakos by
affinity of disposition and very often by the bom Is of matrimony.
She shares to the full his cannibal propensities and his infantile
simplicity of mind. Her voracity lias given rise to the proverb
1 Wheoler; Hiitary of Indui, vol. J. p. 147,
- lialston, Rum inn Folk -Tales, p. tJ5.
* Ralston, Song* of the Rwtian People, p. 173.
4 For an exhaustive diMiuiUition on the Modem Greek Drakoa aee Tozer,
Retearche* in the Highland* of Turkey, vol. n. pp. 2U4 foil.
264
Macedon tan Folklore
in the plain of Serres, not far from the village of Liakkovikia.
Concerning these rocks is told the following tale :
The Princem and the Two /
There was once in the country a king who had an on!;
daughter. She was n lovely, beautiful maiden, and her name
was Photeine. Two priuces in the neighbourhood
enamoured of her. They both were marvellously tall and
strong, and men called them Dragons, The king feared
them greatly. One day they both came to Princess Photeine's
father and asked fur his daughter's hand. The king,
hearing the object of their visit, was seized with ala
and knew not what to do. For he feared lest, by
ferring one of them, he should incur th> b of the
other. He suddenly bethought himself of this plan. He
proposed to his daughters suitors to throw the quoit, saying
that the one who beat the other should become Photeine s
husband They agreed with pleasure, and they each took
up a rock uf an equal size and flung it with all their
might from the same spot But neither of them w T on ; for
the rocks both felt in the same place. Photeine s father theo
bade them build each a castle of the same size, saying that
the one who finished his first, should take his daughter
for wife. Again the lovesick Giants began and ended their
task at exactly the same time. They then decided to engage
in single combat. They fought with so great a fury that they
both fell When the Princess Photeine heard that these brave
suitors had fallen victims to their love for her, she gn
profoundly and resolved to live and die a maiden* She retir
to a lonely part of her father's dominions, and there spent
remainder of her life in saintly seclusion.
The Drakos when conceived of as a giant sometimes has
a spouse (Apd/caiva or ApaKoprta-na), quite as big, strong, and
stupid as himself. The family is occasionally increased by a
number of daughters w T ho are remarkable for size, strength
1 A. A* Toofftw, ' H Kara rh H±yyaio¥ Xitya/ jrp. 27 foil.
Ma a don iau Myth ology
265
and partiality for human flesh, and who inherit their parents'
abundant lack of wit.
But the Drakos is very frequently identified with the
serpent {hpaicwv, ' dragon '), out of whom he was possibly
evolved in the course of time. The Scythic Nagas are similarly
confounded with serpents, 1 whilr in Russian folklore the Snake
n sometimes retains throughout the story an exclusively reptilian
character; Bometimea he is of a mixed nature, partly serpent
and partly man. 1 '* In Albanian mythology also the Negro, who
corresponds to the Greek Black Giant and, like the latter, owes
his origin to the Arabian Nights, absorbs and is iu his turn
absorbed by the serpent, while in Wallachian folk-tales the
serpent element has superseded entirely the giant attributes,
and the Wailachian dragon, like the Russian Zmyei;'' appears
in all the monstrous glory of wings and claws, breathing fire
and threatening ruin to all whom it may concern.
liythologista agree is regarding the Drakos as a member
of a large family of children of death, darkness, and natural
forces hostile to man. The Drakos is said to embody the idea
of a thunderstorm, 4 and from that, point of view he may be
considered as the modern representative of the ancient Python
slain by Apollo, even as the thunder-cloud is dispelled and
destroyed by the rays of the Sun* On the other hand, two of
the legends given above rather suggest that the Drakos is a
personification of the drought and therefore dreads the Bride,
who wields the powers of thunder and lightning. But where
all is so dark it would be rash to be dogmatic.
The Limn t!
The Lamia (Aajita) is connected with the Drakos by
affinity of disposition itld very often by the bonds of matrimony.
She shares to the full his cannibal propensities and his infantile
simplicity of mind. Her voracity has given rise to the proverb
1 Wheeler, 1 1 tutor tj of India, vol, i. p. 147,
2 Balaton, Russian Folk- Tale* , p. 6&
* Bakfcon, Song* of tht Hussion People, p. 173.
4 For an exhaustive disquisition on the Modern Greek Drakoa see T*
Researches in the Highland* of Turkey, vol. n. pp. 29*1 foil.
264
Macedon van Folklore
in the plain of Serres, not far from the village of Liakkovikia.
Concerning these rocks is told the following tale :
The Princes and (he Two Dragons, 1
There was once in the country a king who had an onl;
daughter. She was a lovely, beautiful maiden, and her name
was Photeine. Two princes in the neighbourhood wen
enamoured of her. They both were marvellously tall and
strong, and men called them Dragons. The king fean
them greatly. One day they both came to Princess Photo
father and asked for his daughter's hand. The king, on
hearing the object of their visit, was seized with alarm
and knew not what to do. For he feared lest, by pre-
ferring one of them, he should incur the wrath of tbe
other. He suddenly bethought himself of this plan. He
proposed to his daughters suitors to throw the quoit, saying
that the one who beat the uther should become Phot*
husband. They agreed with pleasure, and they each took
up a rock of an eo-ual size and flung it with all their
might from the same spot. But neither of them won; for
the rocks both fell in the same place. Photeine's father thee
bade them build each a castle of the same size, saying tha
the oue who finished his first, should take his da tight
for wife. Again the lovesick Giants began and ended their
task at exactly the name time. They then decided to engag
in single combat. They fought with so great a fury that they
both fell. When thu Princess Photeine heard that these brave
suitors had fallen victims to their love for her, she grieve
profoundly and resolved to live and die a maiden. She retire
to a lonely part of her fathers dominions, and there spent
remainder of her life in saintly seclusion.
The Drakos when conceived of as a giant sometimes
a spouse {Apatcaiva or Apafcovrtaaa), quite as big, strong, aud
stupid as himself. The family is occasionally increased by a
number of daughters who are remarkable for size, strength
1 A. A* FoitrJoi', * r H Kara rb Ild'yyatoi' lw/>a/ pp. 27 foil.
Mfacedo n ia n Mp tk ology
265
and partiality for human flesh, and who inherit their parents
abundant lack of wit.
But the Drakos is very frequently identified with the
serpent (Bpa/cwv, * dragon '), out °f whom he was possibly
evolved in the course of time. The Scythic Nagas are similarly
confounded with serpents, 1 while in Russian folklore the Snake
"sometimes retains throughout the story an exclusively reptilian
character; BOmetitQda he is of a mixed nature, partly terpen it
and partly man. 1 " In Albanian mythology also the Negro, who
corresponds to fcbq I Ireel Black Giant and, like the latter, owls
blfl origin to the Arabian Xujhts, absorbs and is in his turn
absorbed by the serpent, while in Wallachian folk-tales the
serpent dement has superseded entirely the giant attributes,
and the Wallachian dragon, like the Russian Zrnyei* app
to all the monstrous glory of wings and claws, breathing fire
and threatening ruin to all whom it may COQOerD.
Mythologists agree in regarding the Drakos as a member
of a large family of children of death, darkness, and natural
forces hostile to man. The Drakos is said to embody the idea
of a thunderstorm,* and from that point of view he may be
considered as the modern representative of thr ancient Python
slain by Apollo, even as the thunder-cloud is dispelled and
destroyed by the rays of the Sun, On the other hand, two of
the legends given above rather suggest that the Drakos is a
person iti cat i on of the drought and therefore dreads the Bride,
who wields the powers of thunder and lightning. But where
all is so dark it would be rash to be dogmatic.
The Lamia.
The Lamia (Aajxta) is connected with the Drakos by
affinity of disposition and very often by the bonds of matrimony.
She shares to the full his cannibal propensities and his infantile
simplicity of mind. Her voracity has given rise to the proverb
1 Wheeler, Hiiitortf of India, vol. L p. 147,
* liuUton, Ettjtjfitin FoIkTaUx, p. 65.
* lialfitou, Song* of the Hussion People, p, 173.
* For an exhaustive disquisition on the Modern Greek Drakos see Tozer,
Researches in the Highlands of Turkey, vol. Eg* pp. 294 foU.
204
Macedonian Folklore
in the plain of Serres, not far from the village of Liakkovikia.
Concerning these rocks is told the following tale :
The Princess and the Two Dray
There
once
the
fhu had
country a kn
daughter She was a lovely, beautiful maiden, ai
was Photeine. Two princes in the neighbourhood were
enamoured of her They both were marvellously tall and
strong, and men called them Dragons, The king feared
them greatly- One day they both came to Princess Phut
father and asked for his daughter's hand. The king, on
theari&g the object of their visit, was seized with ali
and knew nut what to do. For he feared lest, by
ferring one of them, he should incur the wrath of the
other. He suddenly bethought himself of this plan
proposed to his daughter's suitors to throw the quoit, sa;
that the one who beat the other should become Phut
husband. They agreed with pleasure, and they each
up a rock of an equal size and flung it with all their
might frum the same spot. But neither of them woti
the rocks both fell in the same place. Photeine s father theu
bade them build each a castle of" the same size, saying that
the one who finished his first, should take his daughter
for wife. Again the lovesick Giants began and ended i
task at exactly the same time. They then decided t
in single combat. They fought with so great a fury that
both fell. When the Princess Photeine heard that these brave
suitors had fallen victims to their love for her, she grieved
profoundly and resolved to live and die a maiden. She retired
to a lonely part of her father's dominions, and there spent the
remainder of her life in saintly seclusion.
The Drakes when conceived of as a giant sometini
a spouse {dpcucaiva or ApaKovrttio-aX quite as big, strong, and
stupid as himself. The family is occasionally increased by a
number of daughters who are remarkable for size, strength
1 A. A. Tovfftov, **H Kara rb Tldyyaiov Xwpa/ pp. 27 foil.
Macedonian Mythology 265
and partiality for human flesh, and who inherit their parents'
abundant lack of wit.
But the Drakos is very frequently identified with the
serpent {hpaicnv, 'dragon'), out of whom he was possibly
evolved in the course of time. The Scythic Ndgas are similarly
confounded with serpents, 1 while in Russian folklore the Snake
" sometimes retains throughout the story an exclusively reptilian
character ; sometimes he is of a mixed nature, partly serpent
and partly man. 1 " In Albanian mythology also the Negro, who
corresponds to the Greek Black Giant and, like the latter, owes
his origin to the Arabian Nights, absorbs and is in his turn
absorbed by the serpent, while in Wallachian folk-tales the
serpent element has superseded entirely the giant attributes,
and the Wallachian dragon, like the Russian Zmyei, 8 appears
in all the monstrous glory of wings and claws, breathing fire
and threatening ruin to all whom it may concern.
Mythologists agree in regarding the Drakos as a member
of a large family of children of death, darkness, and natural
forces hostile to man. The Drakos is said to embody the idea
of a thunderstorm, 4 and from that point of view he may be
considered as the modern representative of the ancient Python
slain by Apollo, even as the thunder-cloud is dispelled and
destroyed by the rays of the Sun. On the other hand, two of
the legends given above rather suggest that the Drakos is a
personification of the drought and therefore dreads the Bride,
who wields the powers of thunder and lightning. But where
all is so dark it would be rash to be dogmatic.
The Lamia.
The Lamia (Aa/ua) is connected with the Drakos by
affinity of disposition and very often by the bonds of matrimony.
She shares to the full his cannibal propensities and his infantile
simplicity of mind. Her voracity has given rise to the proverb
1 Wheeler, History of India, vol. i. p. 147.
' Balaton, Russian Folk-Tales, p. 65.
s Balaton, Songs of the Russian People, p. 173.
4 For an exhaustive disquisition on the Modern Greek Drakos see Tozer,
Researches in the Highlands of Turkey, toI. ii. pp. 294 foil.
264 Macedonian Folklore
in the plain of Serres, not far from the village of Liakkovikia.
Concerning these rocks is told the following tale :
The Princess and the Two Dragons. 1
There was once in the country a king who had an only
daughter. She was a lovely, beautiful maiden, and her name
was Photeinfe. Two princes in the neighbourhood were
enamoured of her. They both were marvellously tall and
strong, and men called them Dragons. The king feared
them greatly. One day they both came to Princess Photein&'s
father and asked for his daughter's hand. The king, on
hearing the object of their visit, was seized with alarm
and knew not what to do. For he feared lest, by pre-
ferring one of them, he should incur the wrath of the
other. He suddenly bethought himself of this plan. He
proposed to his daughter's suitors to throw the quoit, saying
that the one who beat the other should become Photeinfe's
husband. They agreed with pleasure, and they each took
up a rock of an equal size and flung it with all their
might from the same spot. But neither of them won; for
the rocks both fell in the same place. Photeinfe's father then
bade them build each a castle of the same size, saying that
the one who finished his first, should take his daughter
for wife. Again the lovesick Giants began and ended their
task at exactly the same time. They then decided to engage
in single combat. They fought with so great a fury that they
both fell. When the Princess Photeinfe heard that these brave
suitors had fallen victims to their love for her, she grieved
profoundly and resolved to live and die a maiden. She retired
to a lonely part of her fathers dominions, and there spent the
remainder of her life in saintly seclusion.
The Drakos when conceived of as a giant sometimes has
a spouse (kpaicaiva or Apafcovrtacra), quite as big, strong, and
stupid as himself. The family is occasionally increased by a
number of daughters who are remarkable for size, strength
1 A. A. Yowrlov, «'H KarA rb Il&yyaior Xwpa,' pp. 27 foil.
Maa don fa ** Mythology
and partiality for human flesh, and who inlinit tla-ir par
abundant lack of wit.
But the Drakos is very frequently identified with the
erpent (Bpdicwv, 'dragon 1 ), out of wh< sibly
evolved in the course of time. The Scythic Nagas are similarly
nnded with vrhile in Russian folklore the Snake
"sometimes i ry an exclusively repti
char;- d twain. , partly eei |
and p&rtK ton ~ ; " In Albanian mythology also the Negro, who
&ek BUc
ba anil !i in his turn
abaorbed b\ the in Wallachian folk-tales the
ni baa suj. giant attrib
and the Wallachj wan Zmyei/ app
in all tie gl°ry of wings and bing fin
in it tn in.
llythol gree in regarding lb a aa i a
of a large family of children of death, darkness, and naJ
man The Dial I to embodj ilia idea
of a thuii'l- n that j .y be
ed as the modern rapraaentativa of the an
dab by Apollu, even as the thunder-oloud is d
Sun, On tf
(ha legends given above rather suggest that the Drakos is a
cation of the drought and fehi ibeada tb
■i--s of thunder and lifhtfi
all is so dark it would be rash to L
The L<i
The 1 h the 1 htik M bj
nffin i
-hares to the full tui cannibal pn and hU inhiniih-
simp mind. Her voracity has given rise t< verb
* Wh#»Lcr, Huforv | 47.
* Babtoti, >>< H usuai
* For an nhamtive di*juuiUon on Ike Modern Greek Drakoa m» 1
Htttareht* in tk< Ihffhtand* of /Wiry, vol. u. pp. 394 I
268 Macedonian Folklore
not to break it by interrupting the narrative, except now and
again to moisten his lips with a drop of arrack and water.
Let us now listen to the raconteur himself.
The Story of the Prince and the Eagle. 1
" Here begins the tale. Good evening to you.
Once upon a time there was a king who had three sons.
The youngest was the bravest and handsomest of the lot.
A time came when the king was taken dangerously ill. He
was at the point of death, and the doctors said that, in order
to recover, he should eat the fat of a male hare. He called to
himself the princes and said to them :
" My children, I am dangerously ill, and the doctors have said
that, in order to recover, I must eat the fat of a male hare. So
I beg of you to go out to hunt and to bring me a male hare."
" Very well, father," said the boys and, having taken their
bows and clubs, they set out on their way to the far-off forests,
in order to find hares.
The two elder sons did not succeed in killing one, but the
youngest killed three. Unfortunately, none of them were male.
His brothers began to be envious of him, because he had proved
abler than they. Next day they went out once more to hunt,
and again the same thing happened. The two elder ones failed
to do anything, while the youngest killed two hares, and one of
these two hares was a male. Their envy grew thereat, and they
said one to the other :
" Let us kill him and then say to our father that robbers
came and slew him/ 1
Close by there was a well, a very ancient well with marble
slabs round about, and the water issued forth from within
and flowed over the marble slabs. When the younger brother
joined them, they said to him :
" May we not drink some of the water of this well, especially
as we are so thirsty?"
" Right," answered he, " let us drink."
1 For the original Greek see Appendix II.
Maced&n ion Mythology
209
u M j ink in din- Older," .said the eld
"First one, thei \t after him the third/'
So idest, in x* fel I, ami last of all I
yonogeflt Etf put his club and his bow under his aim :md laid
himself down upon his foe, in order t«» drink of tin- *
which Bowed over the marbl> ti one >»t theiu »
him by one foot, and I r by the oth< hang him
the well Bo the prince fell in, and his brothers tlr«i
returned to the pala< k the
hare to their father and said:
"Father, behold, we have succeeded at last in finding a
male hare; but we have lost our b —and the? pretended
(0 he overwhelmed with
" What ! what did you say ? how has that hfcpp tsks
Hie king, rushing out of bed; for he loved his youti
more dearly than the others.
' What can we say. father F" answered they, * As we were
hunting, suddenly a band of robbers came, and they meant to
is all: we two managed to escape; but our poor
brother perished
Then _ m in Ihe palace, The kj
D put on black, and wept bitt-
\ow let us leave thoee wailing, and l< r
prince. Tiie well into whieh they threw him was exceedingly
deep He fell for three years before he touched b After
nd and eaine out at the
r end. Hi that he is io another
r World Far, far away he espies a
He walks on unci on and at last arrives at a cottage,
is an old woman kneading dough in a small
that the
old woman hi bnl ««nl;. nd kneaded the Hour
wiih And aa she n
1 greatly at weeing her ; and
[>ing, and book p
Hi* part of the narmtm* r*enllii, arid pith up*
272 Macedonian Folklore
waiting for the monster to come out and eat me, in order to let
the water issue forth."
Then the Prince drew his sword, cut the chains asunder,
and said to her:
"Fear not, I will rescue thee."
She, seeing a youth fair like a star, as he was, took pity on
him and said:
" Flee far from hence, or thou also wilt perish as so many
others have perished. Look, yonder is the graveyard where lie
buried all those who have died these many years past in trying
to rescue the country."
" Be thou easy in thy mind," says the Prince, and he turned
and looked, and saw the whole plain covered with graves. But
be was not daunted. And as they were talking, there came a
fearful din like thunder, and the ground shook as though there
were an earthquake.
" The monster is coming out. Flee, flee, or it will eat thee
also," Maruda cries.
But the Prince seized her in his arms and carried her to
a height some way off, and then came back to wrestle with the
Lamia. And the Lamia was a great marvellous monster with
crooked claws and a pair of wings, each of them reaching
from here down to yonder plain. She issued from the well and
clutched the earth with her claws, ready to pounce. And when
she saw the Prince she said:
" Ah, well did my old Lamia-mother tell me : ' Many a man
wilt thou eat, but one day there will come such a one, and of
him thou must be afraid/" 1
Then the Prince rushed upon the Lamia, club in hand, and
belaboured her, and he cut off with his sword first one head
1 The Cyclops in Homer on a similar occasion bethinks himself, when too
late, of an old prophecy :
*Q ir6irot, fj pAXa 5y fie ira\ai<para OfofaO' Udvei.
(<FKe tis 4*$&8e pArris dinjp j)fo re /Uyas re,
8s /uh (fa T && e *drra rtkcvrtyreaBiu 6irlff<r<a,
Xeip&r l£ '08vaf)ot A/JLafrHpardat dtrujirfjt.
Odyu. xx. 507 foil.
Macedonian Mythoto
dd then another, till he slew her utterly, and there was |
D a nostril left, as the saying goes. 1
The people, «<Teat and *inail T every one of t! i the
King with his Council of Twelve, were on tin walls of the city
jjht. And when the mooatei was riei&j the
forth with a loud roar, and all eisu-rm
fountains were til me which the people bald
ready.
Then the Princ tfaroda mi in order to laid
her back to I I ring an
"I w."
Ami vvhrti tin \ hege^ond tin- old *aw
I t lit- in
ved. Tfc nee:
' I ii.k-' achieved tin- feat th;»nkH to the morsel which tl
ifhicfa thou hadst kneaded with thy
It was that v u^th, and I
Non ill i wilt give too thy daugi
er thy I
ring, ami he gave hei W^ ;u| d fch* betrothal
King Mid hi lispleaaed that
nhile
y him. They came forth with bows and swords, a great
and t) \ied towards the cottage in
him. Whan bhe old t this, she said :
\ it now rl' I am an
do m>t caiv if 1 ii
" How shall we h\ t answers the Prince.
I am but | man. I
a!id Ood 9 i will I
mo combat between the hero and the mouUer, while the maiden for whom
tbey htv ftV ; : , prenenU 9 xaetl y the
tame picitn limwn by s ■ the deeei Ihfl tight between
Herakte* and the River -pod Aehclou*, the priie bein« Deieneira M the soft and
beeatoone nymph " who all the while •• eat on a eonenienoui mound awaiting
him «ho wu to he her upon**." / nick, 617 f
274 Macedonian Folklore
Then the old woman said :
" This eagle which my husband left me, and which I have
nourished for so many years, 'tis he who will carry you out."
They asked the eagle and said :
" It is thy turn now to help us, who have nourished thee for
so many years."
"This is the very hour for which I have been waiting"
answered the eagle. "You two mount on my neck, and take
with you many provisions. Take three hundred okes of meat
and three hundred okes of water, and let us fly."
" Where shall we find the meat, and where shall we find a
bottle big enough to hold so much water ? " they asked.
" Slay the she-buffalo which also you have nourished for so
many years. Flay her and on her flesh we shall feed, and of
her skin make a bottle and fill it with water."
They slew the she-buffalo and loaded the eagle with the
meat on one side and the skin on the other, and the Prince
with the maiden mounted on his neck, and the eagle spread
his wings and by little and little soared up.
" God be with you," cried the old woman, and fell down and
died.
The eagle soared and soared for twelve long years, and by
little and little the provisions began to fail.
"Kra, kra" cried the eagle.
"What dost thou want?"
"I am hungry."
Then the Prince cut off the muscle from his left arm and
put it into the eagle's beak.
"Kra, kra*' cried the eagle again.
" What dost thou want ? "
"I am thirsty."
Then the Prince set his mouth close to the eagle's beak and
gave him saliva to drink.
So day by day they drew nearer to the Upper World. But
once more the eagle grew hungry and the Prince cut off the
muscle from his right arm and gave it to him to eat. Then he
cut off the muscle from his left leg, and next from his right
leg. And he watered him from his own mouth, till they
Macedonian Mythology
ku<
the [Jppei World, and saw the light of the sun, and
they alighted ou a mountain close to the city of his hi
Th
M I will remain on the top of this mountain. Y into
Hid if perchance you eve* be in need, think of DU
Take this feather, burn it, and I shall understand from the
smell and come at once," And he pulled a golden little feather
from his brow and handed it to ih
When they reached the city, the Prince asked :
" Whet road wl Is to the palace?" and the
people showed it to him.
Twenty -five or thirty years had gone by since he had I-
and his father and mother bad grown old, and he him
had grown taller and loo D more heroic than bdl
y i his mother, aa soon aa she saw him, knew him at once,
ver forget her child ? L- 10 many
u she nees it, she will still ki :is a
when she has lost bar young one, seeks for it here and
, and finds it by the sn
en so the Princes mothm, ;is soon as she saw him, roae
from T nch she was sitting with the king, opened
her arms and cried out :
I Dost thou not
King on hearing this, rose too; but the others — the
to him
Thou n; | •.imuie him, lest he be an impostor; for
i ingest son has been dead ever so many
years,"
Th : set about examining him, and the Prince
relate ig M it had happened; but they would
hi
* How can that b* King. * These things
1 and Lamias are things we have
<-k fftjiv taJc» arc ptncndly confutation*)
amrcbt. ruling in tcowdtuQD wi|h th* tdrioe oC » Privy Council, or C«i
of Twelve,
276 Macedonian Folklore
Then said the Queen:
" My husband, thou art not right. This is our own child.
I know him : my heart tells me that."
Then the King ordered his secretaries to find in their books
the time when the Prince disappeared, and other secretaries to
write down everything as he narrated it now. Afterwards he
turned to the Prince and said:
" Well, suppose we credit what thou sayest about going
down below, how hast thou come back ? "
Then the Prince related how the eagle had brought them
to the Upper World, and they wondered even more, and
refused to believe him.
"This thing must be attested by witnesses," said the
King. " Where is this eagle ? What has become of the
bird?"
" Look at my limbs which I have cut in order to feed him,
if you will not believe otherwise," answers the Prince, and he
showed his arms and his legs, from which he had cut off the
flesh. But still they found it hard to believe.
Then Maruda bethought herself of the feather, and said :
" What hast thou done, my husband, with the feather which
the eagle gave us? Now is the time to burn it, and he will
come to bear witness for us."
" Thou speakest well," says the Prince, " I had forgotten it,"
and he takes the feather from his pocket. And when the
others saw it, they wondered, for they had never in their lives
seen such a beautiful golden feather.
Then the Prince put it close to the fire in the charcoal-pan,
which stood in the middle of the room, and ignited it, and the
palace was filled with a fine odour.
It became known outside in the city that such a bird would
come, and all the people went out to see it. As they were
awaiting the eagle's coming, they suddenly saw a great cloud,
and by little and little the eagle came down with a loud whirr
and sat upon the terrace of the palace.
Then said the Prince:
" My King, let us all go up to the terrace, and the eagle
will come there."
M«c< don tan Mythology
And they all went up to tin m the eagle, aud
>*&gle did homage to the King, ami the King asked him :
T- thou ascend bom tin
World?"
And tin- eagle ^i>«»kr an And when he
fioisl i and vomited (brtfa OOfl piece of flesh,
' Thii id, " (torn tii cm, which thou cuteft off
in order to feed me," and he set it in its place, >pat, and stuck
brought out another piece and stuck it to the
right arm, aud likewise to the legs.
Th <11 believed, and the king embraced hie md end
Maruda, and eel in near him, and aa>
3o thy brothen - lie old
them tobes. in; but the Prinoe hi] b
^ robe, and begged him t«> fbqpve thorn.
"They sought to do me ill." he >aid, " but it hat out
well; for had they not Hung me into the well* I should
have seen thai world, nor should I have performed BO many
•la of valour, and become famous."
i deal of troa
them. 1 »lt round, and lived h;w]*|»\
: ill :
At that judgm nt. eod U n there that
I #i>t the tale which T hare told yw thii " l
The OOOcfo 'he narrative W* - ■ enr
My pt for eonsis-
( I»m 1 me EC point out timidly that, ft
and twelve turning up, and there is
idi Got raeideooe to the Nethei W
OOllId hardly be said I itQen ab*' D his native land
gbt thii an unan
Bu1 I >a« beautiful to oh
1 For a parallel to this story iu a French truncation, ace 0. G*ont*akii and
ft, in a German translation,
Beta, Mtirehrn, No. 70. The* aagle incident aleo ooour* in ■ La Bella de la
Terr*,** an Albanian *u>ry in Anguete Vozon, othet
r»rereoeea i
tory in a (Jree^
278 Macedonian Folklore
the tolerant smile with which Kyr Khaidhevtos waved aside
my objections. " You have no imagination, sir, I can see that,
and am sincerely sorry for you," that is what his eyes said.
But what his courteous lips actually uttered was : " This is but
a fairy-tale " (avro \ai irapafivBi) — a stereotyped phrase from
which he refused to depart. And yet it was Kyr Khaidhevtos
who later delivered the vigorous denunciation of " learned men
and schoolmasters " recorded at the beginning of this chapter.
CHAPTER XV.
ALEXANDER AND HIIUP IX FOLK-TIW
ERYTHlv i.pjiry 18 by thr *i
peasant attributed to the
of which hr is va>tly and |, are
described as having com from the times of Philip
ud Alexander — and Heraklos," a compreh- I to
vhich all ret t the past are allotted with aodisdixni*
ig impartiality.
On the way from D t, and a little back tV
toad, stand the massive relics of an ancient gate, being the
ruins of Philippi, This pile is known to the people by the
name of "Alexander th ft Palace 1 ' (to llaXdrt tou
\leyd\ou WXegavSpov)*
At Demtr Hissar, or "The [too Castle," on the Baloni
Serres railway In rennanti of an old citadel,
or fortress (jteurrpo), overlooking the ravine between the Hanks
n is wedged. These ruins are assigned to
King Philip. A big *tone jar discovered among them some
time ago was prompter labelled Philip's money-ja
treasury.'* T romantic traditmn discerns in two smooth
stones, lying on the rocky bank of the local river, the " Washing-
Prino IWt\o7roi/\a<v'l — the
mighters of King Philip — used to bleach (XtVKoivow) their
I in the manner of Macedonian women at the preh
The two solitary rocks in the plain of Serosa, alreaily noted
the "Dragon's Quoits/ 1 a* .habitants of Nigrita
280 Macedonian Folklore
called the "Quoits of Alexander the Great" (IHrpa^ rov
Meyakov 'AXefai/Spov), who is supposed to have thrown them ;
for did he not live in the age when, according to a muleteer's
phrase, "God was wont to vouchsafe heroic might to men"
(a%l(Dve rov? avrpeuofiivovs) ?
Again, near the village of Stavros, or "The Cross," close to
the eastern coast of the Chalcidic Peninsula, and a little to the
north of the site where Stageira, Aristotle's birthplace, is
generally located, 1 there rises a mountain, unnamed in maps, but
known to the peasantry as "Alexander's Mount " (to Bovvo tov
'AkegdpSpov, or, less correctly, T179 'AXcf avhpas;) — a designation
especially appropriate in a neighbourhood which is associated
with the name of Alexander's famous tutor.
To the south of Stavros lies the village of Lympsiasda,
which the natives derive from the name of Alexander's mother
(Olympias), according to Col. Leake tl not without probability."
This traveller gives the name, less correctly, as Lybjadha and
on the local etymology remarks that "the omission of the
initial o, the third case, and the conversion of AvfjuiridBa into
Av/nrrfydSa, are all in the ordinary course of Romaic corrup-
tion."
In the same paragraph he records that "a situation a
little below the serai of the Ag& at Kastro, where some
fragments of columns are still seen, is said to have been the
site of Alexander's mint. Both Turks and Greeks, and even
the poorest peasants, are full of the history of Alexander,
though it is sometimes strangely disfigured, and not unfre-
quently Alexander is confounded with Skanderbeg."*
The incantation in which the name of Alexander the Great
is employed to drive away the demons of the whirlwind* is a
further instance of the tenacity of tradition, and it also points
to the curious halo which in the course of centuries of ignorance
1 Col. Leake thinks that the village itself is on the site of the old Stageirus :
u These remains (viz. of ancient walls), the position, and the name Stavros,
which, the aocent in Zrd-yeipoi being on the first syllable, is a natural eon-
traction of that name, seem decisive of Stavros being the site of Stageirus."
Travels in Northern Greece, vol. in. p. 168.
8 lb. p. 166. 8 r. supra, p. 251.
Alexander *nul Philip it* FoUc+TrcuHtion
has gathered round d Kings personality. Id popular
on at ion A 1 ilaofl analogous fa upiedby
Solomon iu 1 1 ts and ol I
evilj
to oonjure with.
<>f Alexander the G
Alexander the Great has ft the
hero ol roou in hit Iife*tu 3 was
glamour of his wunderful personality and
nd was deemed by hi>
In Strata's words tr all those who attended on Ai
i the marvellous to the true. ich was I
fig men who kn< hero in the Beth, we eta easily
imagine the attitude af peop] from him in ?.
at first )
gh, no doubt, but which v, table
known a.- It has been surmised I
ion, which is red charge of
history b ■ bad roj pnated m the
Nile immediately afl onqueror's death, and
Asia. How-
m that has cntne down t.» u<
tk and ado-Oallisthc
I in the 1 QtOTJ ol
BAk WXcf'ipSpoi/) ha* directly
or iim I of a nu progeny
1 languages 1 1 - 1 we
find the i tnong th>
inians, t\ mine* the T
uene. Hebrew literature is also rich in
ader'a career; but for these neither
1 Td*rtT jilr >^» *i #*pl 'AViar^^or to (tevjiAero* o>rl r4X«)0<Mi ArteYxe*™
1 SttfMil of the exUtit (»rwk km. have l««n collated and cxlitM. Bet
C. Mailer, /'•«*. i
282
Man th whin Folfdon
can be held responsible. In the West the H eliu
and many other Latin works, both in prose and in verse, ;
the field tor centuries until they passed into the vernacular of
various countries and became known to French, Italians,
Spaniards, Germ&na, Dutch, Scandinavians and Slavonians, In
the hands of the Troubadours Alexander was metamorphosed
into a mediaeval knight, and in this guise he eroded
channel and found a home as Kyttg A g our old
English metrical romances. Needless to say, the Macedonian
in these posthumous peregrinations was obliged to change not
only his garb and speech but also his religion. In th'
in the West, he frequently adopts the Christian creed and
distinguishes himself by his piety and scriptural erudition.
Some of these traits of character will appear in the History of
the Great Alexander of Macedon: his life, wars, and death'', «»f
which a r4siuue is given below.
Whether this modem edition is the lineal descendant
a version from an old Greek text, or is derived from some
mediaeval source, Eastern or Western, is a question to which I
dure trive uo answer. Its vocabulary and style, though ni-
in the main, reveal numerous traces of a mediaeval origin.
The story itself bears to that of Pseudo-Caliisthenes the same
degree of relationship which is found in most of the other
romances. But this is not the place for a minute comparison
and analysis. For our present purpose it is sufficient to state
that the story, under the popular designation of * Chap-book
Alexander the Great" (4>if\\aoa tov MeyaXov WXe^dvhpov),
has long been, and still is, a favourite reading among the towe
classes all over the Greek world, and has helped more thai)
anything else to keep the Conquerors memory fresh and
1 Aiming the works to be consulted by those interested in Ihe development
of the Alexander mjth are E* A. Watlis Budge, The History of Alexander th
Great {Syriac version of the Pseudo-Call istheues ; text with English translatio
and notes), Cambridge , 1889; The Life and Exploits of Alexander tht Grea
(Translation of the Ethiopic versions of Pseudo-Callisthenea and other writers),
London, 18D6; Giusfco Urion, I Nobili Fatti di AUttm&ro Man no (Old Italian
versions from the French), Bologna, 1872 ; etc.
2 *'lffropla tov yity&\ov ' Wt%&y&pav tov yittKt-Sfaot : Bioi, I16\e^ot teal Gdyaroi
afrroiV Athens, t Nicnlniden, 1-
Aieocander and Phi lip in Folk-Tradition 283
confused. Numbers of these pamphlets ftre yearly sold to the
peasants of Macedonia by itinerant booksellers, and it was from
one of the9e diffusers of doubtful light that I obtained my
copy for the modest sum of one piastre (equal to 2Jd sterling).
After what has already been said about the other versions
of the Alexander legend it would be superfluous to add that
this also is a "History" beside which Milton's History of
England reads like a sober record of facts. A flippant critic
might describe it as a work conceived in dyspepsia and
executed in delirium.
In this mytho-historical composition, as in all the kindred
productions mentioned above, the birth of Alexander is attributed
to the miraculous intervention of the god Amnion, assisted by
a somewhat questionable character, Nektenabos, 1 late king of
Egypt, subsequently Court magician and astrologer in ordinary
to Philip of Macedou. The child's entry into the world was
heralded by much thunder and lightning and other indications of
an abnormal origin. Hie education was entrusted to Aristotle ruid
Nektenabos jointly. u The lad used to go to the former in the
morning and to the latter in the afternoon": the one taught
him his letters, the other initiated him into the mysteries of
the stars.
Alexander's boyhood was signalized by many deeds fore-
shadowing his future ptishfulness. One of these was the act
by which he repaid Nektenabos for his tuition. Master and
disciple were one evening standing on the top of a high tower
gazing at the heavenly bodies. Alexander suddenly, and rather
irrelevantly, remarked :
w O thou who kuowest so many things, dost thou know how
thou wilt come by thy death t n
" I shall meet my death at the hands of my son,' 1 answered
the astrologer.
1 The name Xe<rcva£6i of our text appears in the old Mas. of the Pseodo-
Callisthenes as NttcrafefiAf or Ne*mva£un, and occasionally as ^exrcra^t ; in
the Syriac version as Naktfb6»; io the Ethiopic as Bektanis etc. In the Italian
versions it is Nattaoabua. Natanabus, Xathabor, Natabor, Natanabor or Natanabo.
All these and innumerable other forma are corruptions of the Egyptian Ntkht-
neb-fy or Kectanebos II, who was defeated by the Persians in about 338 n.c.
284 Macedonian Folklore
" How can a son slay his own father ?" said Alexander, and
forthwith pushed his tutor over the parapet. Then, adding
insult to injury, he cried after the fallen sage, " Methinks thou
hast lost thine art, O master ! "
" It is not so, for thou art my son ! "
" How can I be thy son, since Philip is my father ?" retorted
the disciple in a manner which showed that Aristotle's lessons
in Logic had not been wasted on him.
Thereupon Nektenabos, presumably interrupting his descent
(for these things happened before the discovery of the law of
gravitation), narrated to him at great length the secret story of
his birth, the truth whereof was known only to himself and
Alexanders mother, and then expired.
And now Alexander, having bewailed and buried his real
father befittingly, and done many other wondrous deeds in the
meantime, succeeds to the throne vacated by the death of his
presumed parent and sets out on his grand tour round the
globe. One of his earliest achievements is the conquest of
Western Europe, all the Potentates whereof were forced to do
homage and to pay tribute to him. The Romans, among other
things, endeavoured to win his favour by offering him Solomon's
great coat, which that eccentric individual Nebuchadnezzar had
stolen from Jerusalem ; also twelve jugs full of precious stones,
which had likewise belonged to Solomon and were kept by him
in the Holy of Holies in Holy Ziou ; also Solomon's crown, set
with three gems which at night gleamed like lit candles, and
encircled with a wreath of twelve diamonds bearing the names
of the twelve months inscribed on them ; also the crown of the
great "Queen Sibyl"; also the royal armour of Priam, which
they had carried off from Troy, and a few other trifles of a
similar kind.
While doing Rome and the Romans, Alexander visited the
famous "temple of Apollo in that city," and the gods high-
priest "presented unto him myrrh, frankincense, and other
royal gifts." He likewise produced a book and read from it
the following
Prophecy from the Booh of the Hellenes: "In the year 5,000
there shall come forth a one-horned he-goat and shall put to flight
Alexander Otld Philip in Folk-Tradition
the leopards of the WVst To the South shall he also go. And
shall meet the marvellous rain of the spread li
w h ereof 1 South, and th< wrth.
The one-horned he-goat shall unite the marreltoui mm in the
heart ami slay him. Whereby all the rulers of the Beat shall be
ricken, and all th« j swoidfl of Persia shall be broken in
n» f i be
unanimoualj King of t\v I'm
Tli nded the King in his
be oracle bi Eotk
1 1 K [ng klesander, m die \ iaion ol
he Weed South
, those oi »pire
of tin Medei and the Mipiie of the Phoenician* — and the
Im empire of th(
King AK >
the Lords of England to build some twelve
thousand stout galleys <*«r€/pya x op &P l * * w &*>&*« giXi^fa),
• hold one thousand untied m<
This mi the beginning oi t hi&
cavalry under the eon and I'hilones to Bai ]
*• by land/' while i After a pi
r thirty days and th
of the Gold > \pvauppi>a\ Trarapo
called it Alexandria. There hi* generals,
my and Philom d him in th* from
Having allowed himself a 6 Alaianrf
[ to Ti woman
id that '1 aii honourable death to ■
it- another man's
vim and at nig!
g to the prec it h it hid
likewise presented him with a casket [?]■ which had onoe been
1 DtaSfl
1 «\i£a»oi», 'an omen ■ [?]. FcrhAp* it b * printer* error lor n£wr6*, *»
it box, cbe*t, cofltar.'
288 Macedonian Folklore
useful as well as ornamental. From Jerusalem Alexander
proceeded to Egypt, where he caught a chill by bathing while
warm in a very cold lake, but happily the illness did not prove
fatal.
The magician Nektenabos, before he became Court astrologer
to Philip of Macedon, had been king of the Egyptians. On
quitting his kingdom — owing to circumstances over which he
had no control — he had left the following message to his subjects :
" I, being unable to withstand the might of Darius, depart
from amongst you. But I will come back again thirty years
hence. 1 Erect a pillar in the centre of the city, carve upon it
my head and round my forehead put the royal crown. There
will come to you one who will stand under the pillar, and the
crown will drop upon his head. To him do ye homage : he will
be my son ! "
In pursuance of these instructions the Egyptians recognized
Alexander as their king, for the crown did drop on his head,
according to the prediction.
It would be tedious to follow the hero in his supernatural
progress through Asia. Suffice it to say that everywhere he
went, he saw, and he annexed. Such a life, however, could not
close quite in the ordinary way. The end of his career was
signalized on his way to Babylon, among other things, by a
nocturnal call from his friend Jeremiah, who being unable to
come in the body (owing to the fact that he was dead) sent his
spirit to visit the King in a dream and prophesy to him as
follows :
" Be ready, Alexander, to come to the abode prepared for
thee ; for thy days are numbered out, and thou shalt receive thy
death from the hands of thy nearest and dearest. Go thou to
Babylon and arrange the affairs of thy kingdom."
Having delivered this message, Jeremiah vanished.
Soon after the prophet's departure another visitor came;
but ftiis one in the body. It was his old tutor Aristotle, who
was the bearer of gifts and messages from Olympias. His
1 At the beginning of the narrative the same message is given in the following
words, "I will return after twenty- four years. I now go as an old man but
I will return young (meaning thereby his son Alexander)."
Alexander and Philip in Folk-Tradition 289
arrival was ai ible div jiainful thoughts
led by the prophet's \i^it, end AJexander g
royal effusion .
" w throwin
oedk and kissing hi
"who kg all the Hellei
A friendly ;tnd nan nd
was much But tl read?
darkened the glory-crowned head.
In the King's household
ic9, bj name: » ol ' h. m ■ . was master ol the b<
Their tnotfa
neither of th mg them
to return home. But the Kiug al ^rant
mmataoc t ;hat Alexin
had knocked the cnp*bes
on the head" for breaking a valuable gobl* much
In the I hroaat a The arrival of ;■ 6
into the cup-b
aster. r i found supporters among man]
-all of them b
•uh of Dostalgia, ol
\ i baoqu d eup wa-
■
*ueh oondenoed b th<
ith the I «ll and I
the waili ndr*/ th<
funeral, a sermon, and the moral: M Vanr uities; all is
van it
1 Tli' Iktiuancr.
19
CHAPTER XVI.
BIRD LEGENDS.
Classical scholars are familar with the beautiful old myths
in which the origin of certain birds is traced to a transfiguration
brought about by the direct agency of the gods. The fables of
Philomela and Procne, of Itys and Tereus, and of lynx are
fresh in every student's memory. Still more so is perhaps the
metamorphosis of Halcyon, wife of Ceyx, King of Thessaly, who,
in the words of the poet, "flitting along the rocky ridges on
the shore of the sea sings her plaintive lay, ever lamenting the
loss of her spouse." 1
Several more or less close parallels to this legend — due
either to survival or to revival — exist at the present day in
Macedonia.
First among them ranks the widely-known story of the
gyon (y/cvobv), a bird, which, so far as I could identify it, seems
to be a species of plover.
I. The Gyon.
(From Safanica and Serves.)
There lived once two brothers, who were very jealous of
each other and were constantly quarrelling. They had a mother
who was wont to say to them :
" Do not wrangle, 2 my boys, do not wrangle and quarrel, or
Heaven will be wroth against you, and you shall be parted."
1 Eur. Iph. in Taur. 1089 foil.
* /ity rpc&ycore, lit. " do not eat each other up."
Bird Legend*
29 1
• h
But the youths would net
roth aie
eo the othei wept bitterly, and in Ida grief and
>rse pray d tu give hit , that he might fly in
I in Hll ' and
traoefonned itenl youth into ■ gyon,
The peasants I th. hinl's iihuiniiul
gyon! as Anton! Ai Qion I Qionl (Albanian
John) — the departed brother's name m<i maintain that it
lets fall tin
Whethei bleeding Philomela's
B bj T< : iV with certainty.
Bertihanl Schtnidl ' emnpai t>l the bird (oy*M**«
or 7*<fcH'f?v) with the Albanian form {*ffwnn
llali > el, in which ( !>«» gym and
the cuckoo are <li -<> emotes
hreek legend about a
l had on deprived ol all
il In r low tuod on thesumtnil tV»rty days,
K in tbc satl iiioii the
me f till at tin ftxpj r that period
aged l>\ i i bird.* 1
The len
The Oth we beard t bird uttering a
ptainl ier bird responded WIm > lb
I this note, ha U>ld us with Bimpk
tine i brother I nded
their fltt h( I i phenless
bit brotheT <l into a pair of
sud DOiea The female bird
says: ' Quzumlari gh< tre you seen my sheep?*
» Qrfceft. .VSrrAsfi. .S'.iy#ii and FotMMrr, it J*. Per Vog*l Uki6o. pp.
* Af4r*lkr*, No. 101.
1 tViumon. Hnmit* ithnu and ih# Morm, p. 111*
19
292 Macedonian Folklore
to which her mate replies : ' Oheurmedum — I have not seen
them?' 1
The " brother and sister" version is characteristically Moham-
medan. But with the quest for lost sheep may be compared
the following Macedonian legend.
II. The Pee-wit and the Screech-owl.
(From Serres.)
There were once two brothers, the elder called Metro (short
for Demetrius), and the younger Georgo. They were horse-
dealers by trade. One day there came to them a stranger who
wished to purchase eight horses. Metro sent his younger
brother to fetch them. Georgo came back with seven horses,
besides the one on which he was riding. Metro, who was not
remarkable for cleverness, counted only seven, without taking
into account the one on which his brother rode. So he said
to him:
" Go back and find the horse you've lost."
Georgo, who apparently was as clever as his brother, went
away and spent the whole day looking for the missing horse,
without for a moment reflecting that he was sitting on its back.
In the evening he returned home empty-handed. His
brother called to him from afar :
" Eh, Georgo, have you found the horse ? "
The youth replied :
" No, I have found no horse!"
Thereupon Metro lost his temper and slew his brother.
He did not realize his mistake until the latter had fallen off
the horse's back and lay still upon the ground. In his despair
Metro called on God to change him into a bird. He was trans-
formed into a pee-wit, and ever since cries : Poot ? poot t
that is 'Where is it? where is it?' (irov to; ttov to;). To
which his brother, who was turned into a screech-owl, replies in
anguish 'Ah ! ah !' f
1 Newton, Travels and Discoveries in the Levant, n. p. 263.
3 Cp. * Le chat-huant, le coucou et la huppe, ' G. Georgeakis et Leon Pinean
Le Folk-Lore de Lesbos, pp. 337—8.
Bird Legends
2U3
A thir embodying a, but assessing a
more romantic interest, is the OEM told about t ho ring-dove
(SeteoXTovpa )
III. Th* ;
(Frntu Srrres,)
It is said tl 'le and ni
young rn was passionately fend of knitting.
She had a fdoked bid vroraan (or a mother-in-law, who al
sought or invented ra or scoldiog mid beating In
day, after having maltreated pay
calls, ami left bei daughter-in-lM ^e bread. The ti
baked the hread— eighteen loaves in all find
At down in lin : illation, The old woman OB
D home found her knitting and began to upbraid her,
aying that there were 01 end thai she had
The poor girl pr
But h ' oould not bear contradiction, grew ai
and bega r ruthlessly The girl, D r able to
submit r i^ht be I
fort 1 1 s escape from hot creel tyrant's
clutches. 1 1
a riag-dova She etil] ptoteete won
oam< ns the Buottfatf
j left on her neck id which the had round it,
Hiring, at the moment of her eha
Thcs- 10 full of simple qpmpath] with the
which humau passions and human
bed, tiud tin in several
which, however, are mostly conceived in a
The piteon wit has suggested
to the Russian peasm n begging for
iii« itory »•* told to me bj M. Horologes, the theological um»t«r At the
G rm n»*i um of Serf**, who »- a utlive of A*i* Minaf . Bat, «* I hmrd it in
M*oeduui« mud have oo mtUae* ih*t a i* nut k %k proriiioe, I tcutare
lie it In the promt .roll«
294 Macedonian Folklore
(peet, ' to drink '), and a pious legend has been invented to
account for its thirst: it is a punishment for the bird's dis-
obedience to the Lord's behest to aid in the creation of the
seas, rivers, and lakes of the earth. The sparrow's chirping is
explained as Jif! Jif! or "He (viz. Christ) is living! He is
living !" thus urging on His tormentors to fresh cruelties ; but
the swallow, with opposite intent, cried : Umer ! Umer ! " He is
dead ! He is dead !" Therefore it is that to kill a swallow is a
sin, and that its nest brings good luck to a house. 1
1 Balaton, Russian Folk-Tales, pp. 331—332. The Indians of America have
also construed the notes of birds, like the robin and the tomtit, into human
language, see Memoirs of the American Folk-Lore Society, vol. vn. p. 58.
CHAPTER XVII.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES.
A far-travelled Oame.
One of the favourite pastimes of the Macedonian peasantry
is the game known by the name of " The Meeting of Three
Roads " (to rpioBi). It is identical with our Nine Men's Morris
and is played in the following manner. A diagram consisting
of three squares, one within the other, is drawn with a piece of
chalk or charcoal upon a flat surface, a stone or board or table,
as the case may be. The squares are joined with lines drawn
across from the middle of the inner to the middle of the outer
sides (fig. 1) and sometimes with diagonals as well (fig. 2).
\
/
\
/
/
\
Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
The battle-field thus prepared, each of the two combatants
is armed with nine pebbles, beans, grains, sticks, bits of paper
or what not, of a colour different from that of the pieces of his
opponent. The lead is decided by an appeal to chance. This
is done in one or the other of several ways. First by means of
296 Macedonian Folklore
the familiar odd or even ? (fiovd fj £vyd ;). Next, by concealing
a small object in one hand and then putting the question:
cuckoo or wind? (kovkkos fj ave/ios;), cuckoo representing the
fist which contains the object, and wind the other. Thirdly, by
wetting one side of a sherd of pottery and throwing it up into
the air. Before it has come to the ground the question sun or
rain? (¥ f \io<; fj Ppoxv >') is asked, sun being the dry, and rain
the wet side. Lastly, by tossing up a coin and asking the
Greek equivalent of our heads or tails I (rovpa? f f ypa/Mfjiara,
i.e. Imperial cipher or letters ?).
The winner opens the campaign by planting down one of
his pieces at some point of intersection, and is followed by
his opponent This is done by the two players alternately
until all the pieces are placed. The end towards which each of
them strives is to get three pieces in a row — to make a trio
(vd icavy rptoBi) — and to prevent his adversary from attaining
the same end. When all the pieces are disposed of, they are
moved, one place at a time, by turns, with the same object in
view. He who has made a trio is entitled to one of his
opponent's pieces. The struggle goes on with varying fortune
until one of the combatants is left with only two pieces. Then
the battle is lost and won.
The game, as may be imagined, gives scope for considerable
display of strategical skill both in the placing and in the moving
of the pieces. By a judicious choice of captives the winner can
render his enemy helpless. The decisive advantage, and # the
one at which both sides aim, is the establishment of what is
technically known as a "double door" (Siiropro), that is, two
trios, which can be managed by moving one piece to and fro ;
" opening" one and "closing" the other simultaneously. When
this advantage is secured the victory is a foregone conclusion.
The game is also popular in Southern Greece. Its name
seems to point to the antiquity of its origin, 1 though evidence
of its being known in classical times is wanting. An essentially
similar, though simpler game, however, was known to the Romans.
The Latin form corresponded to our Elizabethan Nine-holes,
1 Tpt6Si(oy) is not used in Modern Greek except in reference to the game, the
ordinary name for a meeting of three road* being TplarpaTo.
MixceUaneow A
207
ad was played with three instead of nine pebbles,
point, nevertl is the same ; "to range bles in a
Dontaimoofl lie
Likr noel popular sports th various forms, more
hits helped manv end widely-separated races
iisidered
1 table to the prom..
whom i
waa trjorr deep!] eel it
♦• tor k damsel &ol to taeow how to play it
" lud ! I ilao loved
D variant iile the fierce Vikings of
h beguiled with it the ti ages.
>urite vai ieat
of a board found in a \ lki
tkeopeare m (bra
of the game, 1 which u urious & atill ^h
in many English counties. The mast familiar of ah the
tiesis.or the Nought! bool-
those gnat |»i
Am oog ii a, the vast majority of \\\
- expel) Imond
end [sabella, tin i a game common throughout
Buiopt and known bo the Preach as v> tod to
Spaniards as morra. It la b) :
r thg X Jacks
can be seen at all times of tl
or as lookers on. It is plsj
4 pnruit : \t lapttlv, in qua uicu* ?*x i
1 "Tbe mne men'* rmmu u flllM op with in> .;*!*•
Drram, Act II. He 3
* For ft fall account of th* punii »tul it* »»»• Um«u
invafttigfttad, m A. It Ood
Viking Cluh, Jfti ML
298
Man (Ionian Folklore
throwing out a hand and both vociferating simultaneously the
sum of all the fingers stretched out. He who succeeds m
guessing the right number scores r point..
It is a variety of the class designated "addition games*' or
« -• Hinting games/* which under one form or another are
I >r« valeiit in many widely distant parts of the globe. The
mornt, or a near relative to it, under the name of " finger-
flashin^ (mioart digitis), was very popular among the ancieut
Romans, 1 who also had a proverb derived from it: " You can
piny at finger-flashing with him in the dark: tlirv used to
say of an exceptionally scrupulous and honest man. A variety
of the game can be seen in English nurseries; another in
English country lanes, the latter being also mentioned by
Petroniue Arbiter, who Jived in the time of Nero. The
Zralanders, Samoans, OfaiQefle, and Japanese among modem
nations, and the sculptures of the ancient Egyptians, sup]
with a variety of finger-games, more or lees closely akin I
morra.*
Fire-i)rdmL
"Evnra if lie bite red-hut iron, I will not believe him."
(Kat cri&epo tcafiivo pa Baytcdcr Si' top 7r*<rr€tio). )
"Even if she tread upon tin-, I will not believe her."
(Kat \ Tt} <f>o)Tia pa 7raTi}& Be % Bd Tqv WMTTrtyw.)
These two phrases, which I heard on two different occasio
in two different towns of Macedonia, Salonica and S>
apparently etnbndy a reminiscence of the ancient rite of passing
through tire or leaping over burning brands or coals — an ordeal
familiar to &« reader of mediaeval histories and not yet quite
forgotten even in this country. 4
* Cic. Di Iui\ ii. B6; Di f>/T. in. IH).
ilitjnuni <?*»<<% diwtnt, quieum iu Unehru nttfeef, do. /'< Off* in. 77.
a Tyler, Primitive Culture vol. t pp. 74 foil.
I Tvlor» lb. vol. I. p. 85.
Xiteettaneout Notes
21»9
The two expressions, taken together, form a strikingly close,
though of course quite fortuitous, paraphrase of the allusion to
the same ordeal, contained in the Guard's speech in Sophocles :
"We ly to lift masses of red-hot iron in our hands,
and to pass through fire, and to appeal to the gods by oath
that wi' neither did it, etc." 1
The Ass.
ie peasants of the peninsula of (\issandra (ancient Pallenc)
call the ass by the BOBEM of Kvr i Mister) Mendios. The name
stems to be derived from Mende, an ancient Eretrian colony in
this part of Macedonia. That the ass was held in high est)
among the inhabitants of Mende is a fact resting on the
tangible evidence of the coins of the colony. The ass, or the
head of one, is a favourite device on these coins. In the oldest
specimens the animal figures on the obverse with a phallic
significance. Most of the later types represent Dionysos in
various pastures, sometimes lying on the back of an ass, of
bear the effigy of that animal on the revered.
The culture of the vine, for which Mende was famed,
accounts for the veneration paid to the god of wine, and thi
apart froin all phallic significance, enjoyed a full share of
j nit ion as being the animal above all others useful to the
Macedonian peasant in ulden times, as it is to this day. It is not
unlikely that for this very reason the asses of Mende may have
excelled those of less favoured districts, and a " MendaeM ass "
(ovos yievScuos) may have been a common phrase, whence the
modern humorous appellation Mister Mendios (MeVSpoy).
It must further be observed that in Modern Greek, even
more than in English, the term ass (yniSapos) suggests Ml
insult, and the Greeks (especially the peasants) are always
anxious to aYOld it in ordinary conversation. This feeling of
delicacy forces them to use euphemisms, for example, tv the
t l\fiaf d' frftt/toL teal w'r&poot atpnv x^P "'
Kai Tvp oUpreiv Kai 6tai>t 6pKu>p.<tT€i¥
to ptfTf dpaffat etc.
Soph. AhL 264 foil.
300 Macedonian Folklore
beast "* (to £»') par excellence. One of the most amusing
subterfuges of this description which came to my notice was
at Nigrita. In that district the title of Exarch (egapxos) is
familiarly applied to the ass, the sobriquet having originated as
an expression of Orthodox Hellenic contempt for the schismatic
Bulgarian ecclesiastic of that title.
When a euphemism or a sobriquet is not ready at hand, and
the Macedonian peasant finds himself compelled to call an ass
an ass, he introduces the offensive term with the formula
" l^egging- your pardon " (fie avfiirddeio), a formula likewise
accompanying the mention of a mule (f*ov\dpi), a cucumber
(ayyovpt), and other words which to the rustic ear sound
impolite.
The perils of portraiture.
At Salonica I one day witnessed a scene which was both
entertaining and instructive. An old negress was sitting on
the pavement with a small basket of baked chick-peas on one
side, a small tray of honey cakes on the other, and a stout
staff across her knees. The old lady was on the look out for
customers and on her guard against the mischievous street
urchins. Suddenly an enemy of a different type aroused her
wrath. This was no other than a French tourist who, attracted
by her picturesque appearance, had taken up his station on
the opposite side of the street and was complacently placing
his camera in position, preparatory to snap-shotting the black
lady. But he was not destined to carry out his design. The
Frenchman proposed but the negress disposed, and that in
a manner not calculated to encourage a repetition of the
attempt. The old lady's emotion evidently sprang from deeper
sources than mere feminine modesty. Though I did not deem
it safe to approach her on the subject, she seemed to be animated
by the fear lest a portrait of her face should be followed by
her death.
1 Cp. the analogous use of the word "animal" for "bullock" in English,
and of 'irrational" (sc. animal) (d\oyo) for iJ horse " in Modern Greek.
Miscellaneous Notes 301
This superstition is exceedingly wide-spread. A parallel
instance from a Greek island is quoted by Mr Frazer, who
has also collected and classified a number of analogous cases
from all parts of the world 1 , from Scotland to the lands of
the Battas, the Canelos Indians, and other brother-barbarians
of East and West.
A School Superstition.
Salon ica schoolboys hold that a hair stretched across the
palm of the hand will make the master's cane split. English
schoolboys entertain an identical belief in a hair, but it must
be a horsehair. " If the hair be plucked fresh from the tail
of a living horse so much the better. ,,f Their Macedonian
contemporaries are not so fastidious; any hair will do for
them, provided it is not thick or dark enough to attract the
masters attention.
1 The Golden Bough, vol. I. pp. 295 foil.
* T. Parker Wilson, * School Superstitions,' in The Royal Magarint, Sept. 1901.
( J1APTER XVIII.
RIDDLES. 1
The riddles given below form an inexhaustible source of
amusement to the peasants When conversation flags, it if
riddle that nvea the hoe of the h<>st. At weddings and o
als they serve to fill the gaps between the songs. At
the midsummer feast of the KXijSopac in some parts the
riddles take the place of the love-couplets in general vogue.
This last is the oolj occasion <>ri which the riddle may be said
to retain some shred of the dignity which mythoh-. ribe
to it. According K> many authorities. Mr Tylor among them,
"the sense riddle" was in earlier times "an enigma fraught
with mythical meaning — an oracular utterance, clothed in dark
language.*' 2 The oracular M-nitieance of the riddle has beeD
completely lost in M with the exception of the dim
memory which lingua in tin K\?/£o/'av divining rites, At all
other times the riddle is a pastime pure and simple.
Many of the following examples are ingenious; some far-
fetched, and a few positively absurd, though this is largely a
matter of taste. They all, or nearly all, however, in order hi
be estimated at their true value, or indeed in order to be at all
understood, require a certain familiarity with the Macedonian
peasant's life. Some of them are purposely couched in am-
1 XfaftM HrtflTm have been collected by the writer during his travels up and
down the country ; but he afterwards compared his own stock with the contents
of a booklet already mentioned (A. A. r«i«not , * *H cara to Udyyaiw X Jtpa ')
and found that several of them art given in it. Cp. G. Georgeakis et Leou
Pineau, Lt Folk-Lort d* Lrtbv*. pp. 239 lolL
* Balaton, Song* of the Russia n S,
Riddles 303
biguous phraseology; for the Macedonian farmer, like the
French wit of a certain class, delights in double-entendre. Of
this last category I will translate only those which can be
read without a blush. The rest may remain in the decent
obscurity of the original. 1 In justice to the ingenious authors
of these risqui compositions, it should be observed that what
to a school-bred ear may sound coarse, is nothing but legitimate
humour to the less fastidious and more natural folk of the
fields. The songs and tales incorporated in the present volume
amply testify to the Macedonian's delicacy of taste, where this
quality is called for. If he occasionally likes to indulge in a
kind of drollery which reminds one too forcibly of Balzac's
tales, the offence may readily be pardoned.
I have made no attempt at geographical classification ; for,
with a few exceptions duly noted, I heard the same riddles over
and over again in different parts of the country, as the number
of variants shows. With regard to the translations I have
above all things aimed at accuracy and lucidity, two qualities
which can best be secured in plain prose ; but in some cases
I have ventured to limp in numbers, when the numbers came.
1 See Appendix VI.
304
Macedonian Folklore
BpeVa. 1
1.
f/ Ej/a irpafia payXvvo,
K17 cltto fieaa fiaWiapo,
K17 airb fiiaa '9 to fiaWl
"E^e* fua fjurovfcia fcaXi]. (tcdo-ravo.)
2.
XtXiOTptrmjTo Xarjvt
Kal 7tot€9 vepb Se yivei. (<r<f>ovyydpt.)
Tl€T€tv6$* w^aro?, vv^OTroSapdro^ 1
UepTrarel fcal tcpivei rt) StKaLoavvrj. (tcavrdpi.}
y kar)p.kvio Trrjya&d/ci
Me <TT€VOVT<TKO {TTOfJLaTaKl,
^tcvif>T 6 \d<f>Tapo$ xai irivei,
Ovr 6 \d<f>Tapo<; xoprcupei,
Out€ to irtfydS' grjpalvei. (@v£L)
"Atnrpa fiavpa irpo^ara, fvXewo? T<ropmdvr\%. (dfAweXi.)
Or
Mavpa aairpa ra Xaxjivra Kal ^rjprj 'vat 17 weraa.
(<rra<f>v\ia.) 4
1 Lit. 'things to be found oat.' The modern word pptro may either be &
modification of the old form cvperfr, as is commonly held, or it may have
originated in the question which generally follows the enunciation of the riddle:
Bp4 to (pi. Bp^ ra)! "find it out!"
5 var. der6f.
3 var. "AyycXos vvx&tos Kal crKcwraapcwdTos.
4 This variant I obtained at Melenik, but there is strong internal evidence
to show that it comes from Western Macedonia ; for the word \axr4wra is peculiar
to the dialect of the latter district. It is Wallachian, and, like its Latin original
{lactentia), means (1) * sucking lambs/ (2) ' milky, i.e. juicy things.' At Melenik
my informant vaguely and erroneously interpreted it ( trifles ' {fwcpa Tpdyfiara).
Riddles 305
RIDDLES.
1.
Without as smooth as glass,
Within a woolly mass.
But hid amid the wool
There lurks a nice mouthful. (A chestnut)
A pitcher with a thousand chinks,
Yet ne'er lets out the water it drinks. (A sponge.)
3.
A cook with claws and hooked feet,
He proudly struts along the street
And gives each man what's fair and meet. (A steelyard.)
To silver spring with narrow chink
The thirsty stoops his fill to drink.
But neither does he have his fill,
Nor does he drain the silver rill (A mother's breast.)
5.
White sheep and black sheep
Wooden shepherds keep. (Grapes and the vine stakes.)
Or
Black or white are the juicy things, 1 and dry is their skin. (Grapes.)
1 See note on the original.
». 20
"306 Macedonian Folklore
6.
M' iareCKev f\ pdva fiov vd fie Scocy*; rb raivraiki, rb
fiivraiki, yia va raivratXiaaovfie fcal vd fuvTaikuurovpe teal
iraki vd a ro <f>4pa>. (/cavrdpi.)
7.
'AaTrpofAaWrjs tcrj cunrpoyevi)? peaa \ rtf yfj? ^wpAvo^.
(wpdeo.)
8.
'Airb irdvov <rdv rrjydvi,
'Awo tcdrov <rav /Hap/Hatci,
Kg dirb irlaov <rav yfraXiSc.
T/ elfjuu; (xeXioova.)
9.
¥17X0$, ^17X09 fcaXoyepos fcai KOKicaka Sev exei. (tcairvos.)
10.
2/u£a), pv^o) to 8a8i, Qpla/ca pAaa
Hv<f>Tj teal yafjL7rpo t
TJeOepa ical ireOepo. (tcapvSi.)
11.
v Ej£a> eva /can
Mia \ iva aevTov/cd/u
Me iroWd icXeiSia tckeiafiivo
Kal tca\d oyyovpepevo,
"Ai; to x aa% a>vro ro /can
Tt to 0eX' to aevTovrcdtci, ; (^1^17.)
12.
"OX17 yApa rpwet tcpeas, zeal to /SpaS* fierpa to aarpa.
(ytcaT<nvo$.)
Riddles 307
a
My mother's love, and give to me
The chink-chink, the jingle-jingle,
To chink-chink and jingle-jingle,
And then she'll send it back to thee. (A steelyard.)
Hoary beard and hoary hair,
'Neath the earth he has his lair. (A leek.)
8.
My back as frying-pan does appear ;
Beneath a snowy breast ;
A pair of scissors jut in the rear ;
What am I? have you guessed ? (A swallow.)
A lanky monk and lean,
Yet not a bone is ween. (A column of smoke.)
10.
I chop the pine and find inside
A mother, father, groom and bride. (A walnut.)
11.
I keep a tiny something in a tiny box,
Secured under many keys and many locks:
If the tiny something breaketh loose,
Of the tiuy box what is the use ? (The soul.)
12.
He feeds on beef the livelong day,
At night he scans the Milky Way 1 . (A prod or goad.)
1 The prod, with which the husbandman urges on his team in ploughing, it
left at night outside the cottage in a corner, the sharp point upwards, staring, as
it were, at the star-bespangled sky.
310 Macedonian Folklore
19.
Tpiyvptoy yvpa> tcwytceXa teal fiecra irdina tceXalSet
(y\&c<raJ)
20.
&opT(DfjUvo tcapaficuci \ rrj airqXeia iraaiv icy dpdgei.
(XOvTudpi.)
21.
Mid jidva el^e eva iraihi, ical fua aWrj pdva el^e V aKXo
ircuSi, teal \ to hot~aro rpel? tcdQovvrav.
(Mavid, Buy are pa tcy dyyovrj.)
22.
(Of literary or perhaps priestly origin.)
*H\0ov Xyaral tcaraXvaai rrjv ttoXiv, teal rj fih> 77-0X49
&i€<f>vyev, oi 8e tedroi/coi avveXrjfydrjcrav. (aXtet? koX ypiTros.)
23.
Mc rhv rjXio ra /87/iftt,
M€ rov fjXio rd inrd&t,} (rd fwa.)
24.
Ti fia/cpvd Kovrdy (pdria),
Td Svo <re rpia y (iroBdpia),
Ma^aXa? j£aXa<r€, (801/Tia). (y€pdfiara.)
25.
2#oti/{a a7rXa>i>et,
Kovfiapta pafyovei.
Or
"Opvida tcava, /cava,
II 77 8a '9 toi; TOt^o teal yevva. {teoXotcvdid.)
26.
Auo KoprjraovBta air rd fiaXXid rpafjiovprai. (Xavdpia.)
1 The Macedonian farmer diwx^i r& fia to tclxv, and rd ftlgcrat ro fipdBv.
These are the technical terms for "driving out" and "driving in" cattle.
Riddles 311
19.
A fence of stakes all round the pen,
And in the midst a cackling hen. (The tongue.)
20.
A hollow ship with freight of slope
Inside a cave her anchor drops. (A dpoon.)
21.
A daughter had a mother,
A second had another,
They sit together in the hall,
And yet there are but three in alL
(Grandmother, daughter and granddaughter.)
22.
Pirates came a town to sack:
The folk are caught, the town falls back.
(Fishermen and the seine ; the fish are caught, the sea escapes through
the meshes of the net)
23.
Out with the sun,
In with the sun. (The cattle.)
24.
The long short, (eyes),
The two three, (legs plus walking staff),
The castle ruined, (teeth). (Old age.)
26.
It spreads out ropes and gathers up coils.
Or
A hen clucks, cluckB. She then springs upon the wall and lays her
eggB there. (The pumpkin-plant)
2a
Two tittle maids tearing each other's hair. (A pair of wool-cards.)
312 Macedonian Folklore
27.
YIUtw 9 to airtrdta fi vv<f>iraa tcapapwvet. (icoirpuL)
28.
f O Oeifc pov KovToOoSapo? oe aapdvra irairXtbpara tv\i-
pivo$. (\ax av0 )
29.
"Ei/a? yfrrjXos. ifrjkbs tcaXoyepos koX irrjrra '$ to K€<f>d\i.
(XvXwa?.)
30.
Upoa/ceXobvet, 6 fidOpatcas, /cddercu 6 pavpoyivrjs.
(T€W(j6/>€5.)
31.
'Airo irdvm TreraovSi,
*Aw6 Kara TreraovSi,
'£ rrj fxiarj IpraovSi. (/edcravo.)
32.
r O deios fiov XaT%T)06&(opo<; pe Se/coxrw £ovvdpia.
Or
"E%» avrpa pe Se/co^Tci 1 govvdpia.
Or
'O Oeios pov Kovroiri0apo<i gbt/oyiei/o? p£ aapdvra £ovvdpta.
(ftayUvi.)
33.
''Ex© %»a ftapeXdfci
Mk Bvo \oyi& /cpacd/ci. (avyo.)
34.
Bipfiipircra dvaiftalvei,
Bipfiipiraa Karaifialvei.
*ft X a P<* ? T V ffipfJipiTO'a
'IT dvat,(5alv teal tcarai/3aii€i. (cicovira.)
1 var. <raparro%Tuf or (English) aapdvra.
Riddles 313
27.
At the back of my cottage there is a little bride standing proudly.
(A dunghilL)
28.
My Uncle Theodore the Short wrapt up in forty blankets.
(A cabbage.)
A tall lanky monk with a pie on his head. (The oil-lamp-stand.)
90.
The frog spreads out his legs and Blackboard sits on him.
(The kettle on the trivet)
31.
Skin on top, skin beneath, in the middle a morsel. (A chestnut)
32.
My Uncle Hadji -Theodore girt with eighteen belts.
Or
I have a husband girt with eighteen belts.
Or
My Uncle Stubby-jar girt with forty belts. (A cask.)
33.
I have a little barrel containing two sorts of wine. (An egg.)
34.
A smart little maid comes up,
A smart little maid goes down.
Oh joy to the smart little maid
Who goes up and down ! (A broom.)
314 Macedonian Folklore
35.
Mia Kovr-q k $va$ yjtrjXo^'
%<f>vpi£ y V fcovrrjy X°P € ^ ° ^?Xo9.
(raucp'uci kj) apcfirj.)
36.
T4a<r€pa iraiSca,
"Eva r a\\o tcvvrfya. (avifirj.)
37.
'O Oeios fiov Kovro068(Dpo<; p&a \ V ayvpa Kvki&rax.
(avy6.)
38.
XtXtot fivkiOL /caXoyipoi
'2 eva pdao rvXifievoi.
Or
XtX.1179 pvXtrjs tceparaovhai? \ Sva iraTrXcofia rvXipevais.
Or
XtXta fivXia Teviradpia \ eva pov^p rvkifUva.
(poibo.)
39.
Kai rt) yfj? Tptrrra Kal fiyaivei. (/Aavrdpi.)
40.
^Fu^aw iraipvei Kal Tpeftei. (tcapafti.)
41.
v A/Lta\Xo9 /-taXXt Sei/ e^ei.
Riddles 315
36.
A short maid and a tall youth :
The short maid plays the pipe, the tall youth dances. 1
(The spinning wheel and the winding frame.)
36.
Four boys chasing one another. (The winding frame.)
37.
My little Uncle Theodore rolling in the straw. (An egg.)
38.
A thousand, ten thousand monks wrapt up in one cassock.
Or
A thousand, ten thousand maids wrapt up in one blanket
Or
A thousand, ten thousand Janizaries wrapt up in one cloak.
(A pomegranate.)
39.
He is soulless, has no soul, yet he pierces through the earth and comes
out (A mushroom.)
40.
She is soulless, has no soul, yet she takes souls and flees. (A ship.)
41.
He is hairless, has no hair ; he has a hind part, but has no tail. 1
(A snail.)
1 The Albanian version of this riddle is "The monkey dances, while the
white cow is milked. — What is it?" "The spinning wheel." Hahn, in Tozer,
Researches in the Highlands of Turkey, vol. i. p. 211.
9 Cp. the Albanian version: "Though it is not an ox, it has horns; though
it is not an ass, it has a pack-saddle; and wherever it goes it leaves silver
behind.— What is it?" "A snail." Hahn, in Tozer, ib.
316 Macedonian Folklore
42.
T^ vu^ra tcvpd, rt} pipa Sovka. (aicoihra.)
43.
T^ fjuipa rvXci rv\€i,
Tif vvyra. airoriiXei. (arp&fia.)
44.
"OXff fl€pa fCp€fJLO<T/JL€V0<;
Kal to (JpdSv <TT}K(i)fjUvo<;. (pdvraXo?.)
45.
To paWi fiaWl TrXatcwpei tcai rrj rpvira Oepairevei.
(jjmti.)
46.
"Ega vepo; irivm tcpaai
A«/ e^ft) vepo; irlvaa vepo. (fivXwvds.)
47.
XtXta dvdcTKeXa, xtXta Trpovfivra- (/cepafiiSca.)
48.
Udvco '? to airiraKi fi Sva <f>t\l irerrovi. (<f>€yydp^)
49.
Yldvw *9 ra Kepaylhia
*Ej/a Koatavo tcapvSia. 1 (aarpa.)
1 var. K*p65ia iir\ufUva.
Riddles 317
42.
At night an idle lady, in the day-time a housemaid. (A broom.)
43.
In the day rolled up, at night rolled out (A mattress.)
44.
All day lying down, he rises in the evening. 1 (The door-bolt)
46.
Hair meets hair, and they protect the hole. (The eye.)
46.
Have I water? I drink wine.
Have I no water? I drink water. (A miller.)
47.
A thousand legs up, a thousand noses down. (The tiles on the roof.) 1
48.
Over the roof of my cottage there is a slice of melon. (The moon.)
49.
Over the tiles of my roof there is a sieve full of nuts. 3 (The stars.)
1 Cp. the Zulu riddle on the same subject :
Q. "Guess ye a man who does not lie down at night: he lies down in the
morning until the sun sets ; he then awaken, and works all night ; he does not
work by day; he is not seen when he works."
A. "The closing-poles of the cattle-pen.**
Callaway, in Tylor, Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 91.
1 The tiles are curved and lie in rows : convex and concave alternately.
* With this riddle cp. the 8panish :
"What is the dish of nuts that is gathered by day, and scattered by night? *'—
"The stars.** Tylor, id., p. 92.
A still closer parallel is furnished by the Lithuanian tagddka in which the
sky is likened to "a sieve full of nut*." The idea is also found in one of its
Slovak cousins, in which there is further mentioned a very big nut which is the
moon. Ralston, Song$ of the Rwtian People, pp. 847, 848. Ralston remarks:
The oldest tagadki seem to have referred to the elements and the heavenly
bodies, finding likenesses to them in various material shapes.
318 Macedonian Folklore
50.
Kokkivo fiovaorrjpi fti fiavpovs tcaXoyepow* (*a/wrot)fi.)
51.
To 84va> irepTrarel, to \vva> art/cerai. (ra-apovx^)
52. 1
"&icapiro<i <r€ atcapirov p.h Buo raovfiakui avvfyavra f/pde /ecu
yvpevet, alfia airo %v\o.
1 This riddle I heard at Cavalla from a native of Southern Greece.
Riddles 319
50.
A red monastery inhabited by black monks. (A water-melon.)
51.
I bind it, and it walks ; I loose it, and it stops. (A sandal.)
52.
A fruitless one comes to a fruitless one, with two sacks which had not
been woven, and begs of him blood from wood. (A bachelor comes to
another bachelor, with a couple of goatskins and asks him for wina)
Theological Riddles,
Perhaps it would not be uninteresting to give in this
connection a few examples of a branch of popular literature
which resembles the riddle in form, though its origin is entirely
different. This is a kind of Catechism, a lesson in scriptural
lore, consisting of questions and answers; a method of con-
veying knowledge once extremely popular in the East and by
no means confined to sacred subjects. Indeed all sciences from
Theology to Philology were once treated in this manner, and
the earliest modern text-book of Greek Grammar — the Erote-
mata of Manuel Chrysoloras, who lectured on Greek at Florence
from 1397 to 1400 — was written in that form. 1 The volume of
MSS. which has already yielded a plentiful crop of medical
lore* supplies me with the following selection of theological
riddles.
1 Sir R. C. Jebb, 'The Classical Renaissance/ Cambridge Modern History,
vol. i. pp. 541—2.
a v. supra, pp. 230 foil. ; infra, Appendix IV.
320 Macedonian Folklore
*F,pd>Tri<ri$ iraXcua /ecu airo/cpiais. 1
'Ep. — Tfc firj yevptfffeU airidave teal dirodapcop ek rifv
KoiXiav rrj? iirjrpbs avrov ird<f>7j ;
\A.7r. — 'O 'ASa/A.
'Ep. — *A\a\o9 dypa<pov iiriaroXifp fia<rrd£a>v ep^erai eU
itoXlp a0€fjL€\icoTOv ;
'A7T. — 'Aw6<ttoXo? 7} ireptarcpd, eiriaroKif to /cdp<f>o$ rfjs
iXalas, 7roXt9 f) ki/3o)t6<; rov Nwe.
'Ep. — II0T6 ix^-PV 0X09 #007409;
'A7T. — "Ora* ifjfjXBov 01 p^erd Nc5e e*9 [= a7ro ?] tt)j/ /ei-
fiayrov.
'Ep. — Ilore diridave to riraprov rov /coapuov;
% Kir. — "Orav diriicTGivev 6 Kdlv top "AfteX.
'Ep. — T49 diridav€ /ecu ovie w^qcrevy aXX* ovre evpedr) ovre
irdifyrf ;
'A7r. — Tod AciJt r) 71/1/1;, ore direXtdwdtf /ecu iyevero arrjXri
8\aro<;.
'Ep. — Tt9 rrjv ihiav dvyaripa eXafiep e*9 yvvauea;
*Att. — 'O 'A8a/£- ttjv Evap, [?J] €K t^9 7r\ei/pa9 avrov %p.
'Ep. — Tt9 yfrevfiaTa cittodp aiaaHrrcu, /ecu dXijdetav elirwv
aTrcoXero ;
'A7T. — Il€Tpo9 appyadpepos top Xpiorop iaa>0r), teal 'Ioi/Sa?
elwaoPy t>p b\p <f>iXija'(D a£ro9 iarip, dvdXero.
'Ep. — Tt Xey€i* Trairas d%€t,poTOpriTo<; t Sidtcopos dp prj videos,
/erjirovpos dy£ppr)To$ ;
9 Air. — IIa7ra9 d%€ipoT6pr)TO$ 'Ia>awi79 Bairrwnfc, Bid/eovo?
Ilerpo?, /C7)7rovp6$ 6 'ASa/i.
1 The spelling is reduced to the uniformity of accepted rules. A servile
adherence to the scribe's orthographical eccentricities would have served no
purpose but to enhance the reader's mystification. These eccentricities belong
to the class abundantly illustrated in Appendices III. and IV.
Riddles 321
Ancient Questions and Answers.
Q. — Who not being born died, and having died was buried in his
mother's womb?
A.-i
Q. — A messenger that could not speak, bearing a letter tha\ was not
written, came to a city that had no foundations?
A. — Messenger the dove, letter the olive leaf, city Noah's ark.
Q. — When did the whole of mankind rejoice?
A. — When those who were with Noah came out of the ark.
Q. — When did a quarter of mankind die?
A.— When Cain killed Abel.
Q. — Who died and did not smell, but was neither found nor buried ?
A. — The wife of Lot, when she was ]>etrined and became a pillar
of salt
Q. — Who took hiM own daughter to wife?
A. — Adam took Eve, who was l>orn of his rib.
Q. — Who having lied was saved, and who having spoken the truth
perished ?
A. — Peter by denying C'lirist was saved, and Judas by saying "Whom-
aoever I shall kiss, that same is he n |>erished.
Q. — What is the meaning of : an unordained priest, a renegade deacou,
an unborn gardener I
A. — The unordained priest is John the Baptist, the deacon is Peter,
the gardener is Adam.
A. F.
322 Macedonian Folklore
Analogous to these question and answer compositions are
the old French and English collections which would now be
called riddle-books. One of them, entitled Demands Joyous,
which may be rendered Amusing Questions, was printed in
English by Wynkyn de Worde, in 1511. From this work, of
which one copy only is said to be extant, the writer in The
Book of Days has culled a few "demands" with their
" responses." l
With some of these specimens also compare the riddles
(ten questions) propounded by the Drakos in Hahn (III. Trjviafcd
1. To irapaiLvQi tov Apd/cov),* where the hero by the help of the
wise old woman answers them all and the Drakos bursts.
Riddle-stories of this description are likewise common among
the Slavs. 8
Two Poems of Mystic Meaning.
Extract from E. B. Tylor's Primitive Culture, Vol. I. pp. 86 — 87.
" There are two poems kept in remembrance among the modern Jews,
and printed at the end of their book of Passover services in Hebrew and
English. One is that known as Chad gadyd : it begins, * A kid, a kid, my
father bought for two pieces of money ' ; and it goes on to tell how a cat
came and ate the kid, and a dog came and bit the cat, and so on to the
end. — * Then came the Holy One, blessed be He ! and slew the angel of
death, who slew the butcher, who killed the ox, that drank the water, that
quenched the fire, that burnt the stick, that beat the dog, that bit the cat,
that ate the kid, that my father bought for two pieces of money, a kid, a
kid.' This composition is in the ' Sepher Haggadah,' and is looked on by
some Jews as a j>arable concerning the past and future of the Holy Land.
According to one interpretation, Palestine, the kid, is devoured by Babylon
the cat; Babylon is overthrown by Persia, Persia by Greece, Greece by
Rome, till at last the Turks prevail in the land ; but the Edomites (ue.
the nations of Europe) shall drive out the Turks, the angel of death shall
destroy the enemies of Israel, and his children shall be restored under the
rule of Messiah. Irrespectively of any such particular interpretation, the
solemnity of the ending may incline us to think that we really have the
composition here in something like its first form, and that it was written
to convey a mystic meaning. If so, then it follows that our familiar
1 The Book of Days, vol. I. p. 332.
' Contes Populaires Grecs, edited by J. Pio, Copenhagen, 1879.
8 Balston, Songs of the Russian People, p. 353.
Mystic Poems 323
nursery tale of the old woman who couldn't get her kid (or pig) over the
stile, and wouldn't get home till midnight, must be considered a broken-
down adaptation of this old Jewish poem.
The other composition is a counting-poem, and begins thus :
4 Who knowoth one ? I (saith Israel) know One :
One is God, who is over heaven and earth.
Who knoweth two? I (saith Israel) know two:
Two tables of the covenant; but One is our God
Who is over the heavens and the earth.'
(And so forth, accumulating up to the last verse, which is — )
'Who knoweth thirteen? I (saith Israel) know thirteen: Thirteen
divine attributes, twelve tribes, eleven stars, ten commandments, nine
months preceding childbirth, eight days preceding circumcision, seven
days of the week, six books of the Mishnah, five books of the Law, four
matrons, three patriarchs, two tables of the covenant ; but One is our God
who is over the heavens and the oarth. ,
This is one of a family of counting-]>oems, apparently held in much
favour in mediaeval Christian times ; for they are not yet quite forgotten
in country places. An old Latin version runs : * Unus est Deus,' etc., and .
one of the still-surviving English forms tagins, ' Oue's One all alone, and
evermore shall be so,' thence reckoning on as far as * Twelve, the twelve
apostles.' Here both the Jewish and Christian forms are or have been
serious, so it is possible that the Jew may have imitated the Christian,
bat the nobler form of the Hebrew poem here again gives it a claim to be
thought the earlier." 1
The pieces given below are some of the Macedonian parallels
to the compositions discussed in the foregoing paragraph.
1 Mendet, Service for the Firtt Nights of Passover, London, 1862 (in the
Jewish interpretation, the word fhunra, — 'cat/ is compared with Shinar)*
Halliwell, Nursery Rhymes, p. 288; Popular Rhyme*, p. 6.
21—2
324 Macedonian Folklore
I.
1. (From Salonica.)
Tlfjyes *9 to Kvprjyi;
Tlrjya.
S/coto)<T€9 Xayo;
XtcoTaxra.
Top ftayeipeyfres ;
Top fiayeipeyfra.
"E(f>aa.
Me fcpaTrj<T€<; teal peva;
2e k part) a a.
ou v to?;
'2 TO l/TOt/\a7Tl.
Kpi/c, KpaK — ecnraae to /cXeiSi,
Tlov V \a709;
Top €(f>ae rj ydra.
ov p q yara;
'2 ra KOKKtpa ra xepapiSia.
Tlov V Ta KOKKiva ra tcepajilSia;
'2 TO KOKKIVO TO X&pa.
IIoO V TO KOKKIVO TO %Q)fia ;
'S to word fit.
Tlov V to wordpu;
To pov(f>il~€ tf aye\dBa.
Tlov V 17 a7eXaSa;
I171/ eayag o ya<Tair7\<i.
Tlov V 6 yoardirt]^ ;
Tledav€.
Tlpdaa t yepeia teal povardtaa.
2. (From Vassilika.)
*Hrap pud p,7rdp,7rov, Tract \ rrj Koirpid,
3pLa/C€i p.id tcoptd.
lldec \ to T^oppTrar^fj-
" T£opp,7raT%rj pu\ ho p? eva r£oppLTra t
Na fipiga) rrj Kopid,
Na hpoalaco rrj Kaphtd."
Mystic Poems 325
1. The Hare.
(Played between the nurse and the child.)
Hast thou been shooting?
I have.
Hast thou killed a hare?
I have.
Hast thou cooked it?
I have.
Hast thou eaten ?
I have.
Hast thou kept a portion for me?
I have.
Where is it?
In the cupboard.
(Here the child is made to hold its fists tightly clenched one over the
er so as to represent a cupboard, while the nurse tries to open them
h her forefinger and thumb.)
Crick, crack — the key's broken.
Where is the hare ?
The cat has eaten it.
Where is the cat ?
On the red tiles.
Where are the red tiles?
In the red earth.
Where is the red earth.
In the river.
Where is the river?
The cow has swallowed it up.
Where is the cow ?
The butcher has slaughtered her.
Where is the butcher ?
He is dead.
Leeks, beards and moustaches !
ind the nurse proceeds to tickle the child under the chin and make it
tgh.
2. The Old Woman.
ere was an old woman. She went to a dung-hill,
She found a crumb of bread.
She goes to the soup-maker:
"0 Soup-maker, give me some soup,
That 1 may moisten my crumb,
That I may refresh my heart."
326 Macedonian Folklore
'O r^opfnrar^rj^ yvpeyfre r^avaKi.
Tldet '9 to r^avaKT^i'
"T£ava/CT%fj fi\ epa rfcpdici,
Na irac* rov T^opfiirar^rj,
Na fie 8<o<r Spa T%opfnra,
Na ftpego) Ttj fcoptd,
Na hpoaiam rrj /capSia.'
f O T^apa/CT^r}^ yvpeyfte %ay£a.
Tldet, 9 rr) 7779*
"1^9 p, epa x^ a >
Na irda) tov T^apaxr^rj,
Na #aV epa T^aP(iKi t
etc." •
*H 7779 yvpetye Spoaop.
Yidei '9 rd oipdvia'
"Ovpdpia p,\ epa hpoao,
Na S to a a) tt) 7179,
Na fte Solo-' eVa %ft)/xa,
etc."
Ta ovpdpia yvpeyftap dufiidfut.
Udei '9 to vpafLaTevTij'
" Upa'fiaTevTrj fi\ epa Ovfiidpa,
Na OvfjuarLaco rd oipdvia,
Na Sfticrofi/ Spoao rtf 7179,
etc."
'O irpa pLarevri)^ yvpeyfte </)t\r;/xa.
Ilaet '9 T77 Koprf
" Koprj /z\ eva <f>l\r)/ia,
Na Saio-o) to irpa tiarevrri,
Na fie 8a)o~' eva 0vfudfj,a,
etc."
e H /cop?/ yvpeyfre tcovrovpat*;.
Hdei *9 to Koprovpr^rj'
" Koi>toiy>t#7 ft', So ft€ KOPTOVpai?,
Na Saio-a) t»/ *opii,
Na fte Sftia*' &>a <f>l\r)fia f
etc."
Mystic Poems 327
The soup-maker asked for a bowl.
She goes to the bowl-maker :
"0 Bowl-maker, give me a bowl,
That I may take it to the soup-maker,
That he may give me some soup,
To moisten my crumb,
To refresh my heart,"
The bowl-maker asked for earth.
She goes to the earth :
"0 Earth, give me some earth,
That I may take it to the bowl-maker,
That he may make a bowl, etc."
The earth asked for dew.
She goes to the heavens.
"0 Heavens, give me some dew,
That I may take it to the earth,
That she may give me some earth, etc."
The Heavens asked for frankincense.
She goes to the merchant:
"0 merchant, give me some frankincense.
That I may fumigate the Heavens,
That they may give some dew to the earth, etc."
The merchant asked for a kiss.
She goes to the maid:
"0 maid, give me a kiss,
That I may take it to the merchant,
That he may give me some frankincense, etc"
The maid asked for a pair of shoes.
She goes to the shoe-maker :
" shoe- maker, give me a pair of shoes,
That I may take them to the maid,
That she may give me a kiss, etc."
328 Macedonian Folklore
'O KovTovprlfis yvpeyfre fuaivi.
II dei \ Ttjv dyekdSa*
"'AyeXdSa fi, eva fieaivt,
Na Saia to Kovrovpr^fj,
etc."
f H ayeXdSa yvpeyfre xoprdpi'
Yldei \ to fnrafCT^efiapT^rj'
" MiraKT^e/Sairr^rj /a\ $va xoprdpi,
Na Bwa* rrfv dyeXa&a,
etc. etc. etc."
The reciter here broke off out of breath and nothing would
induce him to proceed. Nor did I insist, as from what he said
I gathered that the everlasting cow had eaten up the grass and
was, in her turn, eaten up by the butcher, who in his turn was
eaten up by Death, and so the song came to a natural end.
II.
The following two poems are taken from Gousios' Songs of
my Fatherland, Nos. 104 and 105.
1. O/ he tea dpidfJLoL
"Eva \6yo Oik' pa tt&"
Avo Xoyia 0i\* vd 7rar
Tpia Xoyia OiX* pa ttw'
"*Ei>a9 fAovos Kvpio?"
' Avvfivovfiev, ho^oXoyovfUP, Kvpie.
" bevrep tip* 1; Ilapayid,
Ivas fio v o$ Kvpio?"
'Avvfivovftev etc.
"TpiavTroararos 0eo9,
Aevrep* elv 97 Tlavayid,
If t JT / it
€vas llovos r^vpio<;.
* ApvpLPov/iev etc.
Teaaapa \6yia OiX* pa 7n3'
"Tiro-apes BcvyyeXiaraC,
Tpio-VTroaraTos Oeos,
etc."
* Aw fivovtiev etc.
Mystic Poems 329
The shoe-maker asked for leather.
She goes to the cow:
u O cow, give me some leather,
That I may take it to the shoe-maker, etc 11
The cow asked for grass.
* She goes to the gardener:
"0 gardener, give me some grass,
• That I may take it to the cow, etc."
For other songs of the type of " the house that Jack built "
see Passow Nos. 273-275; A. A. Towiov, 'Ta TpayovSia rfc
UarpiBo^; pov' No. 102. This last and Passow No. 274 are
very close parallels to the Hebrew Chadt gadyd % mentioned by
Mr Tylor.
I wish to say one :
I wish to say two :
I wish to say three :
I wish to say four:
1. The Ten Numbers.
"One only Lord."
We praise Thee, we glorify Thee, Lord !
"Second is the Holy Virgin,
One only Lord."
We praise Thee, etc.
"Three are the persons of the Trinity,
Second is the Holy Virgin,
One only Lord."
We praise Thee, etc
"Four are the Evangelists,
Three are the persons of the Trinity,
etc."
We praise Thee, etc
332 Macedonian Folklore
*A? to irovfie jfva. Na 7rd>€ teal '9 ra Bvo'
"At/o irephitces ypajip^vais,
"Rva to irovXovSi etc."
V A? to irovfte Bvo. Nd irdfie koX '9 to, Tpla'
"Tpla iroBia '\€Tp0Tr68ia, Bvo irepSitce? ypafi/j,ivai$,
"Eva to irovXovBi etc."
V A? to irovpLe Tpla. Na irafie zeal '? to, T€ao"qpa m
"Teaarjpa fiv£ta 'yeXdBas, Tpia iroBia 'XerpoTroBia,
At/o iripBiiee? ypafifiipat? etc."
*A? to Trovfie T€ao"r)pa. Na irafie /col '? Ta irivTe'
"UevTC Bd^TvXa '9 to X^fM, Teaa^pa f$v£ta 'yeXdBas,
Tpia iroBia ^XerpoiroBia etc."
"A? to irovfie wivre. Na 7ra/xf /cat '9 Ta S£r)'
""Efiy firjpes /uo*09 xpoi/09, vevTe BdyrvXa '9 to %^fH,
Tiaa-rjpa /3v&<i 'yeXdBas etc."
V A9 to irovfie 6^17. Nd 7ra/te /cat *9 Ta i<f)Td'
" f E^T« €<^Ta/coi\o to tc\r}/jLa y If 17 fifjves 1*60*09 XP° vo *'
HevTe Bd^rvXa '9 to" ^ept etc."
"A9 to irovfi e<f>Ta. Nd 7ra^t€ zeal '9 Ta o^Tci*
"'O^Ta7roSt tov daXaaaov, e<f>Ta i<f>TaicoiXo to xXrjfia,
"Ef^ p,r)V€$ fiicr6<; Xpdi/09 etc."
"A9 to wovfi o^to). Na Trap* ical '9 to ivved*
"'Ei/i/ed /jlt}p€<; elvai to iraiBl, oxTairoBi tov OaXdaaov,
f E^rd £<f>TaKot,Xo to teXrjfui etc."
v Asr to irovfi ivved. Nd 7ra/tt€ zeal \ Ta Biica*
" &€fcapl%€i to x 0l P^ L > £vi>€<i jir)P€$ elvat to iratBl,
'Oyrairohi tov BaXdaaov etc."
"A 9 to 7tov/jL€ Seta. Nd Trafie teal '9 Ta Ivretca'
""Evretca p,rjv& <f>opdBi, Betcapl£ei to xoiplBi,
'Ei/i/ed /jLfjves elvai to iraiBl etc."
V A9 to irovfie epreica. Nd Trap* /cat \ Ta BoiBeica*
" AcoBe/ca p.i)v5) 6 xpovo^y evreica p,rjp& <f>opdSi,
Ae/ca/3i£et to xotpiBt etc."
Mystic Poems 333
Let us call it one. Let us go to the two :
"Two striped partridges, one is the little bird etc."
Let us call it two. Let us go to the three :
"Three are the feet of the plough, two striped partridges,
One is the little bird etc."
Let us call it three. Let us go to the four :
" Four are the teats on a cow's udder, three the feet of the plough,
Two striped partridges etc"
Let us call it four. Let us go to the five :
" Five are the fingers of the hand, four the teats on a cow's udder,
Three the feet of the plough etc."
Let us call it five. Let us go to the six :
" Six months make half-a-year, five are the fingers of the hands,
Four the teats on a cow's udder etc."
Let us call it six. Let us go to the seven :
"Seven bushels bears the vine, six months make half-a-year,
Five are the fingers of the hand etc."
Let us call it seven. Let us go to the eight :
"Eight arms has the cuttle-fish, seven bushels bears the vine,
Six months make half-a-year etc."
Let us call it eight. Let us go to the nine :
" Nine months is the child in the womb, eight arms has the cuttle-fish,
Seven bushels bears the vine etc."
Let us call it nine. Let us go to the ten :
" Ten months the young pig, 1 nine months is the child in the womb,
Eight arms has the cuttle-fish etc."
Let us call it ten. Let us go to the eleven :
"Eleven months the foal, ten months the young pig,
Nine months is the child in the womb etc."
Let us call it eleven. Let us go to the twelve :
44 Twelve months has the year, eleven months the foal,
Ten months the young pig etc."
1 I am not at all oerUin of the correctness of my translation of this Hue.
Goosios spells x«pJ* ( > *hich rwans nothing; x"/***** "the handle of the
plough," makes no sense. Nor is the meaning of 6<Kapi{v quite clear. It has
been suggested to me that x«ptf' might mean 'hand* and ft*«ap<{tc that the
hands have ' ten roots (finger*).' The suggestion is certainly ingenious ; but,
I fear, hardly borne out by the Greek as it stands.
CHAPTER XIX.
AeiaporpdyovBa. 1
[The majority of the following couplets were collected at
Salonica, those that I picked up in other parts of Macedonia
are specially indicated.]
1.
' Ay dirrjv eZ^a k tyaaa air rtf /eatcoyva>p,id pov.
Too pa TTJ y\eir(t) \ aWove koX tcaler ff icapSid yuov,
2.
'Ay dirt) p,ov XP va * ovopa, rrj<; yeiroveias tcopcova,
Ao? fjL€ to Sa^rvXiSi aov vd /cdvovp dppaftwva.
3.
AydirTjo-a, ri KepSeyfra; ttJ? 7^9 rrjv Syfri 7rfjpa,
Tov Koafiov raU /caTatcpurial? o\ai<; iya> reus irijpa*
4.
A7 dirrja a , ri /cip&eyfra; T779 7779 ttjp 6tyi irijpa,
Tov /coajiov raU /caracppoviaU, koI irdTu Si* ae irfjpa,
5.
Ayawqoa k iya) 'p<f>av7j<; eva Ko/Mfidrc %*oi>t,
K i/celvo to frvXeyfrave 01 dirovoi yetTOvoi.
1 At Nigrita these distichs are called Galatea (TaXdrait), a word of (to me)
unknown affinities.
2 Cp. Passow, DUticha Amatoria, No. 8.
Love-Couplets 335
Love-Couplets.
1.
I had a ladylove and lost her through my folly.
Now I see her in another's arms, and my heart is consumed with grief.
my love, name of gold, crown of the neighbourhood !
Give me thy ring that we may be betrothed.
3.
1 have fallen in love. What have I gained ? I have assumed the hue
of the earth,
And the blame of the world is all mine.
4.
I have fallen in love. What have I gained? I have earned the hue
of the earth,
And the contempt of the world, and yet thee have I earned not
I, poor orphan, am in love with a snow-flake ;
Even that the cruel neighbours envy me.
336 Macedonian Folklore
6.
'AXXolpopo tl 0a yevfj to ISiko fias ^aX* ;
At^ft)? irapa, St^a)9 BovXeid *i) dydirq \ to K€<f>dXi!
7.
' Avddepa t^ Tvxy pov zeal ttj zca/cid ttjv &pa,
Ttov a elSav rd fiardtaa pov, zeal tL vd /cave* raipa;
8.
*Ai/ Bcoao) zeal ae dvprjdA dirdvea *? ttj SovXeid pov,
To fteXovdzci ttov (Saarto to pLTnjyco \ ttj zcapSui pov.
9.
(From Melenik.)
"Avoi^e, 7^9, peaa vd pirco, zeal %a>/ta, aKiiraai fie,
Via vd yXvTtoa diro aeftvra zeal irdXi eftyaXe pe.
10.
'Atto Tt) iropTa aov irepvA zcai ftp La tew tcXechupAva.
2*ttyra> <f>t,Xa> ttj zcXeihoyvid, 0app& (f>iXco iaiva.
11.
(From Zichna.)
"Aovpt) elaat, adv to x l ° vl > ^okkivtj adv ttj (fxand,
2Ai> tA pap papa T<?fj II0X179 iroivat '9 ttjv 'Ay id *E,o<f>id.
12.
V A^€9 fL€ prj p* 7T€4pafi;9, a^€9 fie '9 TO gaXt fLOV,
Xv pL€ irrjpes zeal tov vov pov Vo pea V t6 K€<f>dXi pov.
13.
Tid St€9 izeetvo to ftovvo, ttov dvayfre zeal zcaiyei,
KaTnroios cuydirq e^aae zeal zeddeTai zeal zcXatyei.
14.
(From Melenik.)
'E/yci aeftvTa Sev fjlfepa, ovS* dzcovaTa tov eZ^a.
Tcopa p€ TT€piZCVZCX(0O'€V dlTO K0p<f>7} '9 Ta VV^UL
Love-Couplets 337
6.
Alas ! how will this state of ours end ?
No money, no work and love to boot !
7.
Accursed be my fortune, and the evil hour
In which my eyes beheld thee. Now what am I to do?
8.
If ever I chance to think of thee while at work,
The needle which I hold in my haud I plunge it into my heart 1
9.
Open, earth, that I may enter, and thou, O dust, cover me up,
That I may be cured of my passion. Then let me out again.
10.
I pass by thy door and find it locked,
I stoop aud kiss the lock, and pretend to be kissing thee.
11.
Thou art white as snow, ruddy as the fire,
Tall and slim like the columns of St Sophia in Constantinople.
12.
Leave me alone and tease me not. Leave me alone in my misery :
Tis thou who hast taken away even my senses from my head.
13.
Behold yon mountaiu which is kindled and aflame !
Perhaps some wretch is bewailing his lost love.
14.
Once 1 knew nothing of passion, not even its name.
But now it has compassed me from head to foot!
1 This, among several other dintichs, was dictated to me by a gifted young
tailor, and a great gallant, of Salome*. This one was perhaps a product of his
own genius.
a. r. 22
338 Macedonian Folklore
15.
{From Zichna.)
Elaat, irdiria, elaai XV pa > &* dyyeXtKO Koppu,
"E^etv fidrui cav tov tjXio, irpocwiro <rdv yiacefil.
16.
(From Kataphyghi.)
^E/cipSrjcrd rrjp rrj X a P<* * av T V P drydirrj Troika,
Kal (fxuveral fi€ tt&s <f>opa> rod fiacnXrjd rd povya.
17.
'Eo-u Vat to <TTa<f>v\i xal yw t6 radfiirovpo,
4>tXa fie av \ r d^€i\i t teal yd \ to pAyovXo.
18.
'E<ri/ Vat kcivo to irovkl irov to \4yow tcavdpi,
Ylovv to. <f)T€pd tov tciTpiva xal rj /capita tov ftavprj. 1
19.
Kapd/Si TpioKarapTO, TpepAt? vd irdprjs /36\Ta,
Tpifiei xal 17 KaphovXd fiov ovras ae Si& '9 Tt) iropTa.
20.
Kirn-apiao-cLKi fiov yfrrjXo, \ Ttj pi^a exei? X<0/Aa,
K' iyco fUKpos Kal av fiitcpr}, tcaipos jia$ 8e" v axofxa.
21.
Nre/rrt Kal irovos fie xpaTei, kovtcvco vd iroQdvto,
'2 tov ttovo ftpiaKO) yiarpetd, '5 rd vripTt tl vd Kavto;
22.
f O € paras rov ddpwjro ir&<; rov Karaanfid^ei'
Kopfil adv TpiavTa<f>vXX6 to tcdvei Kal yriKid^ei.
23.
"0\09 KOCTfJLOS JCl) 6 vrovvia? TO ^€(f>Kia KOVOVV X fl ^ l »
Kal rj Bikij fiov rj KaphiA KXauyec tcfj avaarevd^t,
1 Cp. Pa&sow, No. 361, a slightly different version given as a dirge {Mvpo\&yi),
rather improbably.
Love-Couplets 339
15.
You are a duck, you are a goose, 1 you have the figure of an angel
You have eyes like the sun, a face like jasmine.
16.
I have won the joy and the love that I courted,
And it seems to me that I am now arrayed in a king's robes.
17.
Thou art the grape and I am the stalk :
Kiss me on the lips, and I will kiss thee on the cheek 1
18.
Thou art the bird which men call canary,
Whose feathers are golden, but whose heart is black.
19.
O three-masted galley, thou art trembling to veer round,
Even so trembles my poor heart when I behold thee standing at thy door.
20.
O dear slender cypress, there is still earth about thy roots.
Both thou and I are too young, our season has not come yet
21.
Love and pain hold me fast, I am at the point of death.
Against pain I can find a remedy, against love what can I dot
22.
Look how love wears out a man !
A body that is blooming like a rose, decays and dies !
23.
All the people, the whole world, enjoys feasting ;
But my own heart can only weep and sigh.
1 This word is never used in modern Oreek as a term of ridicule. Here it
refers to the bird's beauty and graoe, without any allusion to its supposed
intellectual poverty.
22—2
340 Macedonian Folklore
24.
"Oirotos deket v ayairtfo-y,
Up€7T€i pa xao-ojieprjay.
Upend aairpa pd ^ohidarj
Kai pd fX7]v ra Xoyapidarj.
25.
(From Serves.)
2Ai> TT€p& itca 7T€pnraT€i$ t adv xeXiSovi rp€^€t9,
Xapd \ ttjp ifjLop<f>dSa aov teal ralpt, pa /ultjp eyr)*; !
26.
2Ai/ redout redout \dyava, adp redoiais TritcpaXqdpais
v E^a> k eya> \ top /erjiro fiov aapdpra rrepre pt£ai$.
27. .
(From Kataphyghi.)
2Ai> reroute reroiat? pewapat? teal reroiais peirapiBe^
"E^aj k iya> \ top Krpiro fiov Se/ca ^tX/aSe? pl£ais.
28.
(From Nigrita.)
'2 top tcofjLiro, \ rrj pi£a ko/3ovp rrjp eXyd,
'2 ra fidria, V ra <j>pv8ia <f>iXovv rrj tcorreXXid. 1
29.
Td fidrca a* l^ow e poor a /cat fieaa ^ri^aX,t£bi/i>,
K17 dirdpw \ to tyiyakicrpAx (fypeyd&es dpfievi^ovv.
30.
Td iraXaid fias ffdaapa rrepdaape /col irape.
Td roopwd yepij/eape <f>eiSta yid pd pas <f>dp€.
31.
Ti pd aov 7T&; ri pd fiov irfjq ; iaif tcaXd ypa)pi£ei<;,
Kai rrj y^v^V ft teal rr) /capStd fi iav fie tqp 6pl£ei<;.
1 The metre is somewhat lame — there is one syllable more than should be in
the second verse — bat the peasants are not over-fastidious.
Love-Couplets 341
24.
He who will court a maiden fair,
Must needs waste much time.
He must needs spend many piastres too,
And count them not. 1
25.
Thy walk is like the walk of the partridge, thy run is like the flight of the
swallow.
Great is thy beauty, and yet thou hast no mate !
26.
Oh, of cabbages and radishes of this sort,
I have forty-five roots in my kitchen-garden.
27.
Oh, of radishes and horse-radishes of this sort
I have ten thousand roots in my kitchen-garden.
28.
The olive is plucked at the joint, at the root :
The maid is kissed in the eyes, between the eye-brows.
29.
Thy eyes are brimming with love and are moist with dew,
And on the bosom of the dew frigates are sailing.
30.
Our old troubles are past and gone.
Our present ones have grown into serpents and will devour us.
31.
What need of words ? thou art well aware
That both my heart and my soul are thine to command.
1 The young tailor often complained to me, with a oomieal righ, that hit
heart had well-nigh rained him.
342 Macedonian Folklore
32.
To &%! $€ rtS^epa irork^ va to <f>covd£(o.
Tcopa Bev airepva arifir) va p.r)v dvaoT€vd%a>.
33.
To fiTTol a elvai fitvapes, ra %kpia aov Xafnrd&es,
To o"ri}06$ aov TrapdSeiaos, /nrajfTae^ fie iranvdSes.
34.
To vriprt r&v iraWrj /capca) v r) xnP aL<i T0 yvnopi^ovv
Kal rd SiafioXotcopiraa tcpv<f>d to fiovpfiovpi^ovv.
35.
4>€U76i9 koX <f>€vy r) yvcofjLT) fj,ov. Uov 7ra9 Traprjyopcd pov ;
Hod 7ra9 tckeiBl rov 'poXoyeiov, ir dvolyei? ti) tcapSid fiov ;
36.
<f>t\' oi oxrpoi yevtftcave teal 01 hitcoi fiov £ivoi,
K' rj fidva irov /&€ yivvae Be 6V\€t va p,e ^epy.
37.
Q>vye wo peva, avXKjoyq ! <f>vye no fUva, irlscpa !
Ae* ae <rr€<f>avd)0r]tca va a e^co /iepa vvyra !
"Ovra? Hlvovv.
38.
c O xnrvos 0pi<f>€i to iraihi, 6 $\*09 t6 fJLoayap^
Kal to iraXrjo tcpaal tcdvei rov yepo TraWytcdpi.
39.
Xapd '9 rov irov to irivei,
Xapa '9 rov irov tcepva,
Xapd '9 rr) fcofiiravla
Kal '9 oX' rrj awrpo<f>cd.
Love-Couplets 343
32.
Time was when I knew not how to cry Ah me !
Now hardly a minute passes without my heaving a sigh.
33.
Thy body is a minaret, thy hands a pair of tapers,
Thy bosom a park : a garden alive with songs of love.
34.
The youths' passion is well-known to the widows,
And the sly maidens whisper of it secretly amongst themselves.
35.
Thou departest, and my senses depart with thee. Whither away, my
comfort ?
Whither art thou going, key of gold which openest my heart ?
36.
My foes have become my friends. Yet mine own kindred are estranged
from me.
The very mother who bore me will no longer know me !
37.
Away from me, Sorrow ! Grief begone !
I have not wedded thee, that thou shouldst abide with me day and night
Drinking rhymes.
38.
Sleep nourishes the child, and the sun the calf,
And old wine makes the old young.
39.
Joy to him who drinks it,
Joy to him who pours it out,
Joy to the party,
And all the good company !
344 Macedonian Folklore
Via Ttjs yvvaltce?.
f O 0€o? rdv avrpa fafkaae /ii Siapavrivia irirpa
K17 orav €<f>tciav tt) yvvaltca iirijpe /Aid ireXetca. 1
"Oiroios e% /cater) yvvaltca '9 rov vetepo Be* irpeir vd iray*
Lov vetepo rov i% 9 to awn 1 t.
f H yvvaltca elv d/co\Xa || teal %a\€V€c diro oka.
r H yvvaltca fia/cpvd fjuaWid tcai yvcofirj kovtt).
Or
Tpavd uakkid, || tcovrd fivakd*
1 This distich I heard at Serres, bat it is not of Macedonian origin. M;
informant was a Cretan Mohammedan — one of those who on the declaratkn
of Cretan autonomy preferred exile to peaceful existence with the despis*
Christians.
1 A. A. Towrlov, *'H Kara to Il&yycuor Xuyxx,' p. 89. Cp. fiw6* rparb m
pvaXii Xlya, ibid.
Love-Couplets :i4o
Greek folk-opinion on the fair aer.
When God created man, he used a diamond-drill ;
When he created woman, he used a pickaxe.
He who has a bad wife need not go to tho funeral :
The funeral is in his own home.
Woman is like paste : she sticks to everything.
Woman : long hair, short wits. 1
1 The same proverb, word for word, in common both among tho HuHNianH
ind the Tartars: see Ralston, Human Folk-Tale* , p. 88.
344 Macedonian Folklore
Via T£? yvpduce?.
c O Beo? top atrrpa hrXaae fie SiapavTctria irerpa
Kj7 Stop €<f>suap rrj yuvduca irrfjpe fua ireXetca. 1
"Owofo? e% tcajcT) ywauca '? top pexpo &€* wpeir pa way
lo* P€*po top e% 9 to cnriTi t.
'H yvpauca elv axoXXa .; coi gaXeuei airo oXa.
'H yvpalxa fiaxpvd paXkid ical ypmfifj kovtt).
Or
Tpava fidWia, }■ /copra pvaXtL*
1 This distich I heard at 8erres, hot it is not of Macedonian origin. My
informant was a Cretan Mohammedan — one of those who on the declaration
of Cretan autonomy pr e fer re d exile to peaceful existence with the despised
Christians.
* A. A. IWiov, *'H rora to Tldyynxam J&pg,' p. 89. Cp. firoi rpaw6 rat
fu*\A Xfy«, ibid.
Love-Couplets 345
Oreek folk-opinion on the fair sex.
When God created man, he used a diamond-drill ;
When he created woman, he used a pickaxe.
He who has a bad wife need not go to the funeral :
The funeral is in his own home.
Woman is like paste : she sticks to everything.
Woman : long hair, short wits. 1
1 The same proverb, word for word, is common both among the Russians
and the Tartars: see Ralston, Russian Folk-Tales, p. 3a
348 Macedonian Folklore
uko <r ro fuopo, ya> k rj ywauca p oa t avappcyrov/AC cav vavat vaiot
fixis. Sets cTcttc v€Oij trpwra 6 0cos Oa Kavrc icq aAAa."
Tores 6 ^roi^os expose r^ yvvaiVcd r va Sijj ti Ac« *cai kciV)/. "H
ywauca t* irpwra oev iJtfcAc, yiaTt iroia pdva oTvci to /xacpo t's; fia vcrrcpis
aV tol 7roXXa, yia va ft^v koi/zow Tty tv^ tov iratSiov, Acci " KaAd' " **
ecrrpc£c vd to o\ocr* dv #cat t* dyaTrovcrc crav iratoY t's wovrav. Totcs to
/?v£a£e #caAa KaAd, cos wov ^oprao'C ydAa, twvtvctc /ac to. wcio jcaAAircoa
pov\a irov^€ f to <f>c\<r€ crravparra 9 to yAe^apo #qj 6 irAovcrtos to vtypc *«
Ta X*P ia T \ ccAAcuv* t^ <fx>pd&a r ktj tov (etrpofio&rprav ical iract *s to
koAo fta£v /xc ro oovAd T*.
*Ovras fiyrjKOv afov 7ro ti/ TroAireta k* c^racrav \ cva /Acpo? c/ty/io
/Accra *s Ta ytwqpara — i^ray KoAoKalpi — crra/Aardet t^ tf>opd$a r teal Acci
tov SovAo t " II ape avro to /juopo ical va' to o-kotwgttjs /ac pta irerpa." "O
oovAd? t* *s t^v apX^ ^« K iJtfcAc va to Kav#, yum ^rav aOptawos $€o<f>o-
/fov/ACvo?, pa. vorcpt? 0cAovra? prj tfcAoira? tov a#cowe tov d^€vrrj r koi
to frrjp€ to ptDpo. Ma dirts va xnnrqoTj to iratol ^rwraci rrf yfj? /ac Tiy
ircVpa *ai to u^cvrtKO t Oappafr* 7n*>$ /Japcce to ttoioY. Tores a(a<f>va
eVcavc cav vaciSc kottocov iro pxucpvd, pua xai ovo 7rAaAa'ci *s r* aAoyaTo,
o-av vaTav TaxaTCs TpopLacrptvos, icjj aVo oa> irav ic* ol aAAoc ^^nri irov
Acs, rb pjtapb diropvc Kotpucpiivo pier 9 t aoraxva.
Tcopa v* d<f>t](rovp€ tov irXowrto k<u va irtaVov/AC to irauSc 1 Td
X<s)pd<f> 1a Kctva ^rav 7ro cva vAovcrto t^k^A^kcu Autos 6 irAoixrios Scv
ctx< waiSl ^#co t* icjj oAov ircpticaAotMrav tov 0€O icq avro? k rj ywauca t*
va tov? hwry cva 7rai8t. "H0cXav vavpow xaveva xfrvxowaiSi /xttcAicc tea*
rov? kvTTTfOyj 6 ^co?. Kctvi7 t^ ^paSctct crv^c va, o-cpycavu^Y/ avro? 6
ttAovctio? '9 Ta xtopd<fna xai okovctc to fioipo TrawcAaiyc. Sra^icc *cat Xcct
wo /Accra t* " Ti vavat avro; T^a#caAt 8cv 'vat, o-icvAi 6cv 'vat. *As iraw vd
8toJ." Kal 7raatvovra9 Kara r^ <^a>v^ iro yaAta yctAia /?pi<r#cci to fuapo ic^
a/ta T<oct$c (oracrTiKc. Ma yAcVovTa? avro Tocro c/topc^o ical iraarpucd
ical ira^ovAo ro Atfwrumy#cc #cai to w^p€ *s t^v ay/caAia t* koi to vd-rfee "5
•ny yvvaticd t . " Ate ti fiprJKa *s to xtopdif*, yvvatKa," t^ Acct, " cficis
irauSi yvpeva/Ac iq} 6 ^cos watSi fia? cotciXc." *H yvvaifcd t 8t* tov
wicrTe^c '*"Aivtc iro ow, irotos fepet crv /ac iroid rowcavc? avro to wauSc,
pA a? ctvat 8c* /ac /xcAet, <X9 to ^vAa^ov/ac.'*
To 4>vAa£av «cal r<o^cpav /xta trapapdva ytd vd to f}v£d(fl icy dpua
Tpdv€\f/€ to cfTrovoa^av. Kat to 7rat8t 7rovrav croitico, irpdncoi/fc icat t*s
dyairovcrc 7roAv, #c^ avroi r' dyairovo'av #cat TcaAcyav Ndtvrt?, odv vd Acfic
1 This is a stock form of transition, as hackneyed in Modern Greek folk-
tales as it is in similar compositions in other languages. Gp. the Italian
"La8samu a la pappa gaddn e pigghiamu a la cavaleri," Fiabe, novelU, e
raconti riciUani, by J. Pitre, Palermo, 1875, vol. 1. p. 9.
Ajtfh
4<cac$ra xporw. Tor«c pxd fitpa ra a
ift^trtu. f : ONPOfl o *aK«p. 'oc, o T£cy«fV«t, irou 7ratf*:»rr<
ifnuvu^ar Haim? icai e ,*.« t
ovopa, Puiratt r?/ yvrac- MM1 HM ^<j>i«i£t« «
ytari, ra 94 irw ri/r aAv | ^415,
< o di-T/iti rt» ^uj/>a^>4. /i«V C Tti ytr% t/para &ut mat
6«*u€<£tu gpoVia. Mttc iiAAu ratma fi«i **X*r** * * T,r » rr »*' »<Va0pti^a/i.«
*ui foi- a'yarr.n/AC 0V* Traifii pa%, khi K«i~roc /4ac uyairaci tt
ra? at/rci irAuixrioc iri«oa6Vc *ara*ap£a ytari AaraAn^ irw$
^rar to m M&Ao Toir vu to ^aAaerj/, Tuiipa n ra
*aVy; ovAAoyitTa* wo ow ontAAoyicrai wo mi". 2 t , rjp&§
/im Miwnj Ti v«it rrtus t',Y<4 ra a~rtiAij fita ypmfali f to ^mo t"
tuanro ra TfJV tray.
j rrrtt'Xnvfn TttV N»
'Eroijuao-ar Tor Nalmc jua wovyaWa icai <£uyia, «at oVAAokt* r*
aAo'y t iu wuij. "O wXovo-toc ror *$«**€ /*«a yftatpif ytd t»;
yweujca t* xac ttjk cAcyc ii«tra *« ny yfta^ aimj la Ay awarot*
V fivwii wov Ifiixrnav rd Vftdfjat* I -apayyei'Afl Tovc nro^fa*
H Ko/j/iariaiToui xai ra* Tor y*o>i/At ■ a *c uu mjyd&u
*Q N < tt; y/ «*<£>; V;p§l Au/i/iia wo^ta, «a/}aAAi««y'/t *al *iV>;<r«
i\pw 1*0 lurr/crrf »| ftara Tmt Toi' ajtyllfl'C^ri 1a jo/t Any.
i airoarafu ror fa\rjiT€ *cai' Toy €*«-« to OBTCVOi
I tyjop.0 trot- waairc aVra'rtt ire /ita ftpvirq awo idrtw rwra Sivrpo
koX (t*af$n\\timjtt ym i«i (airuardtnj i^*\« i c^o, Kara
viik tov i^/iijvci/rt ij /xava r*, ytar* ^rar 6c^ao*/A«»<^ K.
'^ tov i*t era^ y«fXH /ii |lflOJIiJ anpa /t IMI icai
ci5pa tcoAfj *Qf»a itttAr/, cas-iniG, irautW \ to
< ro ^tupto /ic /iia ypa^i] yui ror Ta^t," M Aocr< /jui' rif yd rq £iw
r^ ypafa), yiari Oappu wok Tor f«/>o avror Tor a^pwiro." To rcufit
Tor &4Tf4 T^ 7^a^if, »jj c> y^poc ircpacrt f ^pt tou wo iraVov *a*' rrf yvpurt
v, «* wmptc Tdi/ *t T17 oouXfia t\
. ^iyr to voAoXAyciv|U v dvdfipoBa iva^paoa ^raVft o Nairn t 'l
Tfm rw wXowiov. Kt 1 wov f a x«^<v« X 1 ^* 1 t ^ 1 "i , ^v *t to wapa^i am)
yXrwct «u xofMTou ^uopO%o aar to ^€yy<a/>i. *A^t <r/Sixrc to^ pw7 f m
lOOj yiar* <i\€ -w-j} ^ifurra w£% &r «T\a
wat^ia* «*\t fti<i Ki*/it| k* Ira waAA^Napi. *0 N auric &ifi** piaa c to
vi-at^a tov wAowcov tot O^faai icara irtus laAtrf
KaAttk *rac ^pjjnau« f '' tt/ otrci r^ ypa^*? wai irci'rr; Ti| bidfiavt
pa^c 1 fff*f»yc - «*o «04 r»; «copiy ;tac *ai 1 a *pa{gc
352 Macedonian Folklore
Tores ipru irpwra 6 rpavvrcpo?, vorcpt? o 3cvrc/>o? k vorcpvo? o
ftifcpdrcpos. *E/JaAc r^ iraAa t* #cai Ttj craira t* dwro KaV air rrf fux<r\dkrj
koI (air\tii0K€ tol fiirpovfivra yia va mj} air to vcpo 7rov irp€\€ cur' 5£co V
to, ftdp/xapa. Tores o cvas tov iriav air rcova iro&dpt icjj 6 aAAo? air r*
aAAo icai tov piyyovv /Accra 's to irqyd&i. "Ettco-c to Aohtov to /fao-iAoirovAo
fi€(ra k ol d8cp<£oi tov cc^vyav ical yv/nrav irurto *s to iraAarc *Aita
€<fyracrav ckci tov irfjyav tov iraripa tov? tov Aayo *ai Towrav
" Na, iraripa, «cara<^cpa/AC icai pprjKap.*. o/ktcviko Xayo cnypupis, pa
€\aa'dfjL€ tov aScpc^o Aias," k cicavav wtos ^rav 7roAv irucpa/Acvoi.
" Mirpc, Tt Acre; 7ra>s y€vrjK€ havro;" pan-aci 6 /iaoriAc'a? *ai ircra^Ti/itc
o£a> V to Kp€fi/3a.Tij yiari rov ayawovee tov /AucpbVcpo rov yio tov irceo
TrcpMTOoTcpo ir t's dXvoL
" Ti va o-c 7rov/xc, iraripa," Acv, " icct ttov Kwrjyoxkrafjit a£d<^va rjpOav
icAc'cVai? k 7jf0cAav va /xas KaTawovTicrow, #c* i/aici? oi ovo £c<^vya/AC, fxa 6
a!8cp<£o9 /Aa« \d$K€J i
Tores yivrjKt /Acya? Bprjvos *s to iraAari, *$ o fiacriXias *c* ly fiaaCXwau
vrv$Kav *« Ta fiavpa k cxAaiyav *al OktfiovvTav iroAv.
Tcopa va t s a<f>rf<TOVfjL€ #cci irov dprjvoxxrav Kai va irap.€ s to fiacriXo-
7rovXo. To TriryaOi wov tov cppi£av pica rjrav ttoAv /}a0v, «al Tpta
Xpdvia €TT€<t>T€ Si\(o^ vavpy irdro, "Yorcpa 7ro Tpia xpdvia irdT7j<r€ yrjs
Kai PyfJK* V t* aAAo /xcpos. 'Avory* Ta /xaria t* Kai yAcVci 7r<3s ^Tav *s
aAAo Kocrfxo. HTavc o Karai Kooyxo?. Kat «cci puiKpva fjLaxpva yXcVei
Iva <^to9. IIcp7raTovTas, 7T€pirarovra9, irepiraro'vra? c^ravci o-c /ua KaXvfia,
*E«cct /xcVa T/rav yxta ypr/a. k' tir\a$€ fcvfxdpi fxtcra <rk /ua KOxnraviTO'a yia.
va koitq /Ata 7rovyaTO~a. Totc« to pacrikoirovXo x T< *£ ct 7r< »* s 'J yP37°^ ^^
ct^c vcpo', /aovo c#cXaiyc *ai (v/acuvc to o!Acvpt /ac tol oa*pua t*s k* c<^twc.
Kai kci ?rov cicXatyc k' cq^tvvc *at (v/ao>vc to \ap.ovpi TpayovSowc
Xvm7T€p<i, XvTnrrcpa.
T6 paxn\6irov\.o airdpco'c ttoXv yXc7rovTas nyv va c^rai; ical va K\aiy*
Kai rrjv dXumjOKC.
u KaX^ enrcpa, #cvpa fiavuj" rrj Xcci.
" KaAo *s to 7rai8i /aov," Xcci kcivi; ical kvtto(€ /ac aVopta ctoti xcos
^rav vcos TraAAr/Kapas icj avrpcico/Acvo? xai /ac t^ iroiXa xal t^ o-afra xaVco
'? tov viu/ao tov. " 'Atto ttov cp^ cc at, yie /aov; cotv 8cv cttrai avo Tovra
Ta /Acpr;, /a^v lp\€(rai V t6v*Avu> Koc/ao;"
"MflLXio'Ta, cp^o/Aat tto tov "Avco Koct/ao, /Aa ircus t' aTrctxcum/Kcs,
/Aavta;
(<a A/a c/aci9 coa> 8cv c^ov/ac Tctfotov? avTpcs crav #cai crcva. 4>aivco-at
iraJs cTcat V* cVcci irdvo). Kai 7rtos Kar c^>K€5 cow;"
Totcs t^v d<t>rjyqOK€ to /fcurtXdVovAo " to ical to /ac ycviyicc," icai vtos
Afijuinlu- II.
353
t* a6tp<fria t* /AtV 'c to wijya&t. " M« £«* m.c At*/' Ac'ti t^
Bf] 0<*
7ratpv€i? vtpo \>a
(vnutnj
S TO ^{l/JOlpI fL€ »<pO, /AOV
TO
A
{uft<*I^<t? /i< Ta oaA/iva cr* *at fit to <£riyta F *ai yiart *Aau «ai aupo-
k y*€ /aov, Kfpo Sir ix ov ^ l€ a * Tqvto tov toVo. Elf* eVa mjyaSi, pa'
to ^vAtict jua Au/iia, «Va 0*7/Ha TrrpaVooo ,ui TOta mifaakta *al £rrrdu To*
irarTa fo}ya Vo era KvptTcrt vii <t>arj ** iTtri v a^ifo-jj To rcpo va Tpifrfl.
nfjva inta* o A/i^vo? \ t ~*j Maoowoa not nyr
i^ow Tulpa Oe/icVq \ tov irkaravo /ac t*« aAuaoVSat*, *}} ai'pio #a )Syp To
Ot)pt*j Hill #a tt; ^>ar/. IVt rtatTO xAa/ytu *at ^p//
*A/jui r o*oitc ai*Tf\ Tfi Aoym to /JiurtAoirovAo «!*■€
*Eyu» 6a to o'lroTciJo^w avro to (h)pi6 *al $a ykxnwrw *ai to Kopt'mt O"*
ovAo TO* To--, M >i<. ''(Jtrt ^iow /iia fiiiruv*o\>aia va <£atu V* afrrifl TT)
Ttra afia ttj ^Jctj^/'
*A yii ft\ truk 0a furopttrjfi iuv va to o^cotowttjs to &rjfito, irov *yj a
{fat tltr" atmr; rf/ «roAiT€ta jc|J »vA« t* u. iVa xpoyia rwpa TO
roAc/tovt' icot riWorct #«* p,m»poiV *a huVoim
yUl 0U TO CT«OTUK7U\" A€<l to /JaouAoVouAo.
"M>jv mi« i'a pi} at £a?y ** cVcVa."'
44 'Eyui £** <£o/?ot>/uu. *H 0a to AOTairovTuTci> afro to £170(0 tJ *a
wc0aW"
<t wov /uAo{*rc a^ct^iv* anovci fim <£a*r»/ t upa, nfpi ri»ptf«i Jcai
yXcirct era /icyaAo irovAl VOvnu <rk fna ywvta f rij naAr/fa* 2»'a^ airrof
^pIMTck oar/ uyy«Ao<i. I
*• Avto ^*t t* d«^f < o* oW^ki? ^' SnUI trctfan «^<o / ittaro \poiia, k*
iy*a t aVa^pci^A m% wov rporc^rc «al yciK< enri roC TO yA«V«ts/'
**"A/i< ac<V>/ »J fiovfiaka Kit Tt ili^it;"
*' K 17 aiVij t?J fjnvfitika fU n\v a^icc a* aiTpaf ^i* i*o«i» n* litaro %povui
tt fyw r7f aYa#0r<l'a." Aftt ?J yp]7a'.
"Kt«ti irov A<V< Tor loowcf u* tf^ac ir*a p 1 V* tt} trooyaToa,
a^io r^i' ltyrpJt r Ktu to ^ao^iAoxovAo <vi'if^n ^ii TtJ iraAu r* xai f
yia i r a Trail ku wo* 1 w»OvSa 8^u'ni \ top irAaVaro ffai «a^rcpou(rc
va ^3yjj to ^r;pio ra ny ^a'yj- # Afta f^rao-c *<** cai ttip tlof, TiJ A#ft»
" lltiif tlc/tti &J; T.
M TDr»1 t*toi' n5« Tt^t ^MM M #c«l xafrnpC p&
pYD ™ ^TJIP*^ *<u ia ac ^a^ yia r* a^ijo^ to vtpo'.'*
Tot* v to /Jao-iAoiroi'Ao ffyHn to trrra&i T *at Kofta Tais aAv^O'iSaif
«•/ ny A< 1
M M17 ^ojSatrat fyu £a o^c yAvrtttrW
KciV-7 cWi irov tot ttof Ira i«o oir aoxpo, Tor a*Av«T70*t «ai I •
A. F.
23
354 Macedonian Folklore
"$cvya /xaxpva. V* c&3, ytari Oa X a &ifc * 1*™ ottws \oBko» toow
dAvoi. Au, kci irepa ctvai Ta /xKty/xdpta irovvat tfa/x/xevox ovAot xov
<T(o$Kav c8a> ical rdo*a xpdvta yia, va, yAvroMrow tov two." "M77 crc
fLtXy" Acci to jSaonAdirovAo, ical yv/xrc ical kvtto£c irov 0SA09 o kcl/xxo9
i/rav yc/xaro? airo /xvq/xdpia, /xa 8c* <fx>pijOK£. Kal kci irov /xxAowav
dicovycTai cva <£o/?cpo ra/iaTovpi crav fipovrij, ical Tpdvra£c 77 yrjs ow va
yevovvrav 0^107x09.
" To tfqpto jSyai'vct, <f>€vya, <f>€vya va firj crc ^ai/ ical cre'va / " ^wvd£° ij
Mapovoa, /ta to jSacrtAdirovAd rqv irfjp* *9 Ta X c P ia gat T17V ifiaX* $ cva
i/r^Ao /xcpo? dAdpya ical yv/xrc va ira\au/rg /xc tj] Ad/xta.
K' ^rav avro cva /xcydAo 0cdpaTO ^pto /xc vv^ta aytcaOuna teal Svo
<f>Tcpa irov €<fyravav airo Sa> iqj a>9 kcitco '? t6v icdxtiro to irdo*a cva. Ka!
fiyfJKt airo /tccr* air* to inrydSt ical indorse /xc Ta vv^ia t* dir* T17 yrjs
eroi/xo yia vol Xifuj<ry. K]J d/xa c!8c to /iacriAdirovAo etire"
" KaAa /i* 17 Acy c 17 /xdva /xov 7/ Ad/xia • iroAvol 0a ^£9 /xa QapOyj ttta,
/xc'pa cva9 rcOoios iqj airo kcivov va 4>opr)0y<;"
Tore? to /JaonAdirovAo pi^T^icc dirdva> tov /xc 1-17 irdAa ical twoWc
tcoSwkc icat irparra ckoi/tc /xc to cr?Ya0l T<i>va to K€<f>d\i k votc/xi to dAAo
oJs irov to xaAao-c irepa irepa ical ocv dird/xvc povtfovvi irov Acci *rj d
Adyos.
'O K007X09 ovAo? *# o VTovvids, /uicpol /xcydAot, d iracra9 cva* #cjj d
/fturtAca? /xc T77 8a>8cicd8a /xa£v, i;rav dirdvco '9 to Kaxrrpo kolI Bwpovcrav to
irdAoi/ia. K|) dtta (tuSki to 6rjpi6y dp^ivi/o'C vdp^erat to vcpo ttc £017
ftcydAi/, /cat yifiiaav dAai9 77 <rr tpv ais k jj <t>ov<TKLvai<; *at to. ica{dvia
irov^av 01 adp&iroi x a C^f nKa '
Tdrc9 ir>7pc to /Sao'tAdirovAo tt^ Mapovoa V to ^cpt yia. va T17V iraiy
irtaoi *s r»7 tidva t's, ical k€lvt] tov I8o>kc to oa^ruAiSi t's koi tov dire*
" Ettuu Tojpa ^#07 cov."
Ky dtta rjpdav '9 T17 KaXvfia nal tov 9 cISc 17 yp^d, ocv *7c9cAc dxdtta va.
TrLCTofrrj ira>9 to OrfpiJo o"a>^*cc, /xa v<rr€pa irtorci/rc. Acci to /fturiAdirovAo*
(( To)Kava avro to avrpaydOrffxa /xc 717 /xirovicovo'ia irov /xovoo>kc9, irov
tttv c?p(C9 ^vfxu)fL€vrj /xc tgl Scucpva o"*, avro /x* coWc dvTpcta Kai to viKrjaa
to Orjpio. Taipa ^d /xc 8010779 T17 xopr; o'ov ywatica gat Oafiat iraWa y«>9
<rov."
"Eto-i ^tAif^Kav «cat tov c8a>«cc 17 Mapovoa to oa^TvAtSt t*9 ical fcctvd?
tt/v cou)KC to #ko tov xal ycvKC 6 dppa/?cova9.
Ma 6 ^3ao*tAca9 «c* 17 6Vn8c«c(ioa tov9 KaKo<f>dvK€ irws cva9 f cvos Kard<f>€p€
k Ixavc cva riOoio /xcydAo dvTpayd^/xa, irov avrol Ttxra ^pdvia iroAc-
/xovo-av *al 8c* /xirdpco'av, #c* iJ^cAav vd tov KaTairovTurovv. By^icav /xi
o-axrat? ical airaBid, iroAv do-Kcpi, k* cp^ovvrav icara t^ KaAvySa ywt vd tov
xcdarow. *A/xa t* dicovo-c avro 17 ypija Acci*
Appendix II. 355
'*E<rcts oi $vb rcdpa irpeiret va <f>vyrj T€ y ia * a yXvTcdoTc. *Eya>/tat
ypga ywauca, va /&' d(f>rjoT€ &o> xal 8c* /ac /ic'Xct, as irc#dvci>."
" Kal ira>s 0a dSvyov/xc, fidva p" Xcct to /fruriXdirovXo, " vat ycva>
drjTos va irerd£<i>; dtfpanros ctfuu. *As IpSow teg Sri 6VX' 6 0cos as
Tore? Xcci 17 yptfd* " Avros 6 ai/ros irov pc tov aoSxc 6 aVrpas /i* icai
tov IBpvfra rocra xpd via, avros 0d eras PyaArj oftu."
Tov piarrfiav rov dtfro icat Xcv* "Twpa irptwu k lav vd pas porjOyprQS,
vov o~c 0pci/ra/ic rocra xpdvea."
" Avrg Tiyv d>pa jcaprcpovora Kal ya>, w Xcct 6 0*17x05. << *Eo~cis ot Svo
vol *a/?aXXicc\/rrc \ rov Xjjpd fx Kal va irdprc Opofals, vol irdprc rpcaxoorauc
d*d£cs Kpcas, tat Tptajcdcruus d*d8cs vcpd, #cai va c£vyovp.e."
<( Kal irov 0d ro fipovp* ro *pcas, *ai irov 0a jSpovp* rovXov/u /xcyaXo
yia va \tapi<rg roao vcpd;" t6v p<i>Tovv.
" Na oro^afrc t^ fiovfldXa irov #cai jcct'vq T17 0ptyarc roVra xpdvia, va'
T17 yfiapTC *al pc to *pcas A 0d 0pa<£ovp.e, Kjj dtr to wenrt t'« va koVtc
rovXovpt #tai va to yc/iurrc vepo.
T17V ccr<^a£av T17 ftovfidka koI c^dprwrav to icpca? dr rcova ro pepo?
teat to rovXov/ic dir' r* aXXo «]} dvco^icav ro /fourcXoVovXo pc ro Koptrcri
airdvto '9 rov A?/pd, Kal criyd, aiya dvoi£e to, <£rcpd t* 6 airrof #rp dp\iv^a , €
va a-crag.
"*Qpa aas icaXif / " e^a>va£c 17 ypga #c* eVeo'c #cat (€^frv)(tfa€.
'O dirros dve/fruve, dve/faive oa&jca xpdvia *ai criyd, crtya. o-cdcVcav "jj
Opoifrals. " Kpa, xpa/' </>u>vafc
"Ti^cs;"
" Ilcivco."
Tores #co/3cc ro /?ao-iXbVovXo to /avovtc V* ro (cp/?i rov ^epe icai ro
/?a£ct '? r^ /AVV17 V rov dtfro, u Kpa, Kpa,' 1 c^a>va{ci iraXi-
" At^."
Tores /9a£ct ro orofta r jcovrd *s r^ pvri; «fOi rov 81177 va irc§ ro <f>rvpa r* .
"Ercrt /Mpa fie rrj ftcpa (vycuvav \ rov *Ava» KoVpo, Md iraXi fava-
vct'vacrc d di7ros <cai to /fturtXdirovXo lico^rc r6 /xirovrc V r6 8c^i rov ^epe
icai rov Ioomcc vd O^di;. *Yonrcp(s eVco^re ro furovrc V ro (cp/?i rov ird8i ic*
vVrrcpiS dv ro oc{t rov irdSi mu rov ir<m{c V* ro aropa r* cos vov dvcoSxav
d*-avu> k* clSav cW« «at icarco>#cav \ cva /3owo aifia '9 rrj iroXcrcta rov
irarcpa r* .
Tores d aTrros etve* '**Eyu» $a /xeiVu) oa> diraVw 's avro ro powo\ Kal
crels i^ vdre 's r^ iroXcretd icq av rv\6v irorcs ix €T€ T V V ***y*y p vd /ic
oWiToS^rc. Na avro ro ^repd, vd ro icd^rrc icat ya» c^* d**cucdVa> aV r^
23—2
356 Macedonian Folklore
fLVfxo&ia *al OapOu *? rrj ortpif." K* <f/?yaXc cva fwcpo xpvao ^rcpo *x* to
yXc^apd r #cat rove raxWcc.
"Apa €<fyra<rav *? ti) iroXtrcta to /frurtXdirovXo pam^c* " IIov ctvat d
Spofios ttov mici '9 to TraXaTt;" Kat tov rov <foct£dv.
ET^av Trciot wtpdoy cikoo*Vc'vtc, Tptdvra xpdvta aw* t6v Katpo tov iJtov
<f>€vyaTOS #0} 6 irarcpa? r k ij ttava t' ct^ai/ ycpaai/, #c# avTO? cfyc rpavfyy
Kol ^at'vowrav iretd 7raXXi/Kapa9 tto vpuira.
*A/xa 17 pava t t6v etoc tov yvaipurc *? 117 on/117. At ^c^vact wore? 1;
/lava to iratoY; o<ra xpdvta k]} dv Trcpao-ow va to §tj} iraXt r6 yvajpt£ct, crav
pta irpo/fart'va dpa x<*°77 to putpd t*s to yvpevet xro So? 7rd kc? mu to ppuTK€t
fit rtf pvpaiSta. "Ercrt ttov Xc/ac k rj fidva r dpa tov cloc crrjK<d$K€ V* to
Bpavio kci wov KaSowrav pa£v pc tov /fao-tXca, dvot£c ttJv dyKoXta t'? koI
^a*va£c* " O ytd? /ia?, 6 ytd? ttas xov tov ctx<ip,c \ap.ivo ! Ac* tov
yva>pi'£ct$, avrpa pov;"
*Ovra? t' aKOvcrcv avra 6 /fao-tXcac <T7)kw6k€ kclI kcIvo?, pa ot aXvo£ 1;
owScKaoa, ctVav "IlpcVct xpeora va tov £cra£j7? p.rjv etvat Kavcva?
i/fcvn/s, ycari itci$ £cpovp.c irws 6 yio? aov 6 pixporcpos irc0avc 0V0 ical
Tocra xpovta."
Tores 6 /fao-tXca? dpxt'vi^rc va tov (erd£rjy Kat KCtvd? tov atfay-qOKt to
*ai to ovXa oVai? ctxav yevfl, pA ocv ^0cXav va tov irurrh^ow. " Dais
yevcrat avrd;" Xcct 6 /JaouXcas, "aura wov /xa? Xcs yta tov KaVa> Kdo-po
#cai Adtuat? i/pct? irorcs Sc* t* aKOvcrapc."
Totcs cTttc 17 Paa-Ckuraa' ""Avrpa pov ocv c^? OUC270. Avrd Vai to
irai&i /xas. *Eyo> to $ cpa>, 17 Kap&id p p.4 to Xcct."
ToVcs 6 /fao-iAca? irpoVra^c Tots ypap.puariKo\ va ffpow \ ra Tt<f>T€pia
rov Kaipo irov \d$K€ to fiacnXoTTOvko icq aXvoi ypappxiTiKoi va ra ypdif/ow
ov\a Kara 7rco5 tov? Tawc roipa. YoTcpis yvpiifci *« to P<nriXdirovXjo kol
to Xcct* " At icaXa, va ra irto-rc^ov/xc avra 7rov /xa? Acs, 7ra>9 *carc</>#ccs
^#cct Kara), fta irw? yvpio-es a7ro kci; w
Totcs to pa<rik6irov\6 rov? d(f>rfyrj6K€ irws 6 drjTos rov? dvipaat '« tov
?ravu) koo'/ao Kai Oapxi$av axd/ia ttcio ircpio'O'drcpo Kat 8cv ^cXav va
irtorc^ow "Avr6 irpCTrct va /xas to SiafJLafyrvpyjarjs" \t€i 6 pactAta*.
u IIov etvai avros 6 airrds; ti ycvKC to 7rovXt;"
" KvTTfl^rc ra Kpcara p* 7rov raKoij/a yia va tov 0pbfft» % tray 6c*
7rM^TCVT€, ,, Xcci r6 Pa&ikoTTOvko k c8ci£c ra X*P ta T * Ka ^ Ta ^"o&tt T * *«*
irovxc Koi/f* to Kpca?, pa TraXi 8va*KoXcvovrav yta. va irurrci/rovv.
Tot€9 17 Mapovoa ooki^kc to <f>T€pb Kat Xcct* "Tt rcaKapc?, avrpa p*,
to tfrrtpo 7roC pa? c&iikc o airrd?; roipa 'vat Kaipo? va ro Kdifrgs Kat OdpSy
va SiafiapTVprfay"
" KaXa Xcs," Xcct to /SoxrtXdirovXo, "tovx^ aoroxi/OTy," *«* /^yaC* dx*
Appendix II. 357
T7J T<T€TTT) T TO </>TC0o', tCQ a/JLCL TO C?8av Oi oAvOt OdflO&lV yULTl 1TOTCS TOVS
ocv <?x av & L V tc&ho xpvao icjj aj/xop<£o <fnT€po. Tores to paariXowovXo
rw/faAc kovtgl *s tt| </wi>Tta *s to fiayxdXi irovrav *s *n) /xcV r^ fcd/tapa *ai
r dvai/rc teal yt'/xarc to 7raXarc vo /ua /tvpa&a uipata.
MalcvYtyKe o£a> *s r^ iroAiTCid w<3s OapOy cVa riOoio irovAi icat ovAot oi
dOpiZiroi PyrJKav yd ro Stovv #cai icci irov Kapr€pov<rav rov drjrov to cp£i/&o
yAcirovv teal ^avepuvrrac cva /icydAo oi/yvc^o kj) dydA' dydAta icarc^jcc
/*2 /Joijj k* cVcaTtrc *s t6v ijAia*o tov vaAartov.
Totcs cTrc ro /frurtAoVovAo* *' Bao-iAc'a fi, y dvc/fov/AC ovAoc d?rdva> *s
rov i/Ataico #c|J d di/ros OapQy *ct. w
K]} dvt<t>Kav ovAot #c* ctoav rov dirro, *# 6 a^ros irpoo-*aWc rov
/feuriAca #rj7 d /fruriAcas rov pum^c* u lies /mis, )8p€ dqrc, inos avc^iccs
air* rov KaVu> Kdoy&o;" #c# d dirrof /u'Aipre *ai t d<f>rjyij9x€ ovAa, *cj}
dvras co-oktc tov Adyo koVci "yAov, yAov" icai £cpvdet rwva KOfifidn to
xpeas * " Avrd Vat " Acci, " air* ro £ep/?t aov X«P l > 7ro ^ to lico^rcs yea vd
/ic 6p€*frg<; n *ai T<i>/}aAc *s r6v rda-o rov, #c* c^rvcrc ko! r* dxdAAiprc. K*
vorcpis cjSyaAc r* aAAo KOfx/xdn icai r d#cdAAi/o > c '$ to 8c# to X'P^ **
vorcpis ra irdSta.
Tores ovAoi vurrc^rav *cj} d /fturtAcas dy#cdAtaac ro vaiSc r' icai tt|
Mapov&a «coi t's l/JaAc ic* iKa-nrav Kovrd r icai Acci* ""Ertri Aonrov r*
dSfptfua <r* ifttXav yd crc icarairovrurovv;'' «cac irpdora^c vd rovs vuurovr
#cai vd tovs a^d^ovv, fta to /fruriAoVovAo cttco-c *s ra ydvara xat rov
^tAi^rc r^ iroSia gat tov ircpucdAco-c vd rovs <rvfiwa$q<ry <|,r H0cAav vd
/ac Kavow xaird," Acct, " fia fiyrj** Vc koAo, yiart dv Sc* ft* eppc^vav *s ro
m/ydSi 6V ^dyAnra icai «rctvo rov xdafio teal BV Odxava ToVa <rr)fj*la icq
dvrpayaB^fiara icat 8<* ^a oo^d{ovftow.*' Kai /xc ra xoAAd rov icard^cpc
rov y3ao"tA«a vd rovs arvfJiiraOrjcrr) #cat <^tAi;^#cav ovAoi ** ifarav «caAa icai
/A€is icaiAAiTcpa.
*Ekci *s r^ Kpto->; ij/iovva k* fyui #cjj dvo «cci ra mjpa icat o-as r*
d<t>rjyrj$Ka dird^c.
APPENDIX III.
'l&TpOCO'<|>ION 'n<|>£AlMON.
a'. *Owom>9 6VXci va aypinrvrjoj) kol va jirjv 8cv ward^y irovMv
ctvat to 6vofia^6fi€vov wvpyirqs, tovtov tovs 6<f>0akfiovs kol tov Kaftovpov
ra o/x/iara *al njs . . 6/aoods cfe aairpov iravtv cvrvAt£ov, #cai va
TO. OCT0? C45 TOV 0*€(lOV TOV fipa^LOVO, KOX OV WOTa^Cl.
^'. II cot tov Stomal Kafiiraq- hrapov Kap.iria<; y' airo tov ktJitov,
hrapov ical airvplov [?] koX kcwtvmtov tov tcfjirov 1 rj to W€pifio\iov, *al
<f>€vyowru
iff. Eis irovov o&ovnav 2 *a/xc tovto to OTrjfid&iv, teal orijo'ai to
punyalpLV ci9 to JcaicovSt to iparpos *cai Acye to ElaTcp r)fimv kcu eVcctvof
owov irovcl va keyy t\o Kv/hc]* c'Acto'ov *ai voraTov i<f>v[ycv (?)] a»*o to
a 0,/ KavKov&i [sic] as /&A47 cis to Scvreoov, 6/xoiW *al cis to t/ihtov, <rat
\dpiv $€Ov laOrjcrerai.
E19 Sia ka Avo~fl9 4 avSoa Sc/ievov ij yvvauca, ypd<f>€: —
i{'. Efe piyov [«tc] irvpcTov ypwjfov cis fA.rjX.ov r) cfc awtSiv *Ayic
ayycAc ckActc [*wj] tow Kvpi'ov i/fuuv Iv Xv oVov cttrac *ara iravov tov
ptyov [sic] kol tov TTvptrov Siovy [?]* Tptrat'ov, Tcrapratov, kol Ka$rjp.€pivov\
Stappi^ov to[v] piyoirvptTov [sic] airo tov oovAov tov Ov o** [= 8ctva], cZs
to ovofia tov Tips koi tow Yiov *ai tov 'Ayi'ov IlPcv/x[aTo$].
417'. Eis ptyov [*ic] KaOrjfi€pivov ical TpiTaiov kottovvjov ffix9 y
Xktopbv ofiov ll€tcl ayiao-fLaro? t<3v aytW (Sko^avctW, #cai OTpakrov
icaAak «cal irorifov real ypaApov tq aX rjfiipa orav avaTcAAci d igfXtos
€19 tov oc£tdv tov <5/aov 6, Xs N crcx&ft koI ct9 T77V htvrtprpr [sic] rjiUpav
koi ypai/rc €19 p.rj\ov to Tptaaytov teal to 2tq>/acv xaAak, ical a? to <f>dyrj 7
VTjOTUCOf.
Ky\ Ata va AvV]/9 avSpav [*tc] Sc/acVov, lirapov tia\aipiv 9 owov cica/LU
1 rtfo-or. 9 Mibrrw. * a hole in the us.
4 Eif &A *a Xftf-ir. * Perhaps for fovrcpalov. 6 v6fto*.
7 <f>aycur. 8 fxaxtyW'
Ippendiac IFF.
359
<£ov4*oV '* *ai ora* wmy# vk KOtpijSy o SfO€u*Vos <I« fiwy f4 /*«\a40nr its
iAtj rov t *eai roVc a 9 tcoipijOy' Mi orav i$vmijcrri a* ftNrjjj rouro tu
Xoyia* bk avrovro [**^] to fta\ttTp4v eSt/i^y^ va to/* 27 ^o^ko* 1 . ijy<"
cr^oTOKrj;* aVdV [* aVfyjcuirov], ovrwf i 4 a £vi^0|j *at to iSurdv ftov o~cu/*a va
iT€o~u» [siV] /ifTii T^f yopacjcof /xov, tor *£** [- oWa], imu iraottt-rit rrfi-r«i
/ac rfjr y> ;
k£\ # OraK d/>VTy0]j rtKa< Wjv ywauca tov rijf*' diXoyirniajv #tai vra'yp
til iro|iKr;i" Inapov icoirpov tt/s ywat*t>9 ofov t^s irtipvo? not naimaw Ta
Tot' uiftpot xpv<fra- kui u7>«< - ijv futt iprjj • o'/lUM"*? «al ets to
^£ utfirtTpo<£«»n L \
*V. Ef* 5a*^im tu/>»;i\ t^ /?cXrni6oc tov ou/apioi> to crrofia a* ^opci
o* Saiininapj^* m] 2| tii * tumoral «ai 0cXot a r ^t*y»/ aV avrop rk
$HtlfLOVifX.
*C Aawtf' TiFa< tiro [i(7r</i7)/i] o^<A«W t; *ai aXXw OrfpiMv ni
tv tov iyyiaouv a*o'a'j icat 01 o**vXo4* m <£t'yoi>i 1 •■ «oiraVu
tT«K TO Xuiru#i,i Kg] uVo*7<£ovyy4'£«tl' TO KttXXa [jttV]- *ui
aX€4*>«>» TOl* fr
At a va *wi7yif<rj/ rii'o«* fyapta «ai ra fr i>op<i" i/'apa*
cVurop T,/r roil i^i'XXovc njs 0uXa\?a , »/{ Ac/uVoit €i< bipfian [rie] StX^tVov
[tfic] t icac ^rin^atW* -
•t^, Atn rt» ctpipfVT|; Ttrac tovs ixjtpavs tov* yp
IWfffdr 1 * *V tjJ 'loooaia, Xv*1ct< to ^*i ftpo* 11 *«i 8cW tov iyfipov <rov va
wiji *ai ^cXtt ctpi^fMrg.
Xo\ A in in , afiuiTat ciiTtVm [*i<*] oirov TrfptvaToCv* vtvoa
■ffV TU 0-«tcX^ T
X/T. Ek <ieaic<jrao'^«'of [*•<*] wise ^>* lirapov y frfpk
Kairrava ical tCoj^ok [- («»x ov ] *•* ? ironjpio Kpaatv iraXaioi' *
ira] ajiyu, mi ypa^« w^ ^»x5 ? r • ^yo^f /** T0 ^
Iv rrpt fttiij&tt h to pturrdit*
Xo*\ E[t /itytirt' [**e] ■ .'4TM ifimfuov f irai yoai^or" to «^,
ayuv^f o Uir/V>. «fc to j5 f ij tjur^ o Yioc, €4< to y* 17 rapojcXi7o*tc to Ufa to
i\ Kal oral' ao^4< »v wai o irvp€To^ a« wo4^ o daBtvi*
[*ic*| /4tTui'mrti5 ^ «u ri Srofui ro5 acytav Iu>'" - , «oi
♦«yj7 TO o! coix/AxtTi *oi 6VXci wavcrvj o »t>i»tTi>$* *co4 «av otf 14 irat'trj; fit
I irfMi*TOV, HOMf TO fk TO OClVfOOV * ij u!X^f40 '* irttKTOTf.
1 $<tfri«Ar,
f 4*vtiau.
* dJ*«tfr^#ov.
1 5»*itaW44fH« h#TT,
• a a* a <
* #*a«.
f fai'i*^,
• *inn**<* nri#.
• -rif^/wi,
" -)FWVT^1.
11 «jX£w^ t to tvtnpbr*
11 -)M+*-
"4^1^.
'« «.
» KtaAjf^.
360 Macedonian Folklore
ft. IIcpl pvrqv 1 owov rpi\€t 9 Xcyc 8 c2f to fUpos ckcivo* ovov Tpc^ct,
Kpv<f>io)S cis ro avrt* fiof, wa'£, piir£, Kal 0cXci iravVi/.
fxa. Ata va fwy ftc## d dVdV /?dXc TcvrdviKa [?] ovyyta? j8, otoov
tov *-<ura [«c] Ta^u va a-i'vy Kal ov ftclcL
fta/?. Ata. va voajtrg rj ywatka yaXa* cVapov dycXaoa? 4 ovu^iv 6 feat
Kavo-dv to 6 KaXd, So? t^s ywaiKo? va ro ^dyj/, ^ va to Wj/ 7 .
/a/P. Ata va /a^v ^o/fturat irXcirn7V Kal popurapv [sic]' hrapov to
Xpprov to Xcyd/i.cvov a£ty/?oravov, cif to dvo/ia tov D./J5 ical tov Yiov *al
rov dyi'ov IlPs, xat /Ja'crra to oirov 0cXci? va ircpiirarps, Kal it* r^v
ftorjOtiav rov 6v 8c v </>o/?do-at 8 .
ity'. Ata va oriJoTys o^iv ip\6p€Vov icpos o~c* orav tov ffijjs ori
cpxcTat xpds o-c Xcyc Tavra-
'AvtOrjKtv M(Dv<rrj<i 9 cirl OT17X17S okuiv [sic] <f>6opoiroi<j)v Xvnjpiov #cat
£vXov tvttov oravpov rov irpbs y^s arvpoiicvov o^iv irpoaihta'* cyKapo'tov,
cV tovt<j) Ipia/AjScvVaf rb irijp-a, 816 Xa> po-wftcv t<J> 0<p ijfttov ori oc&o-
£aorat.
/*£'. Ata va iyyao'Tptodf} r) yvvaixa* rpdyov ^oXrfv hrapov Kal As
6\X.€inf/ t Q 6 av8pa$ to (tw/jA tov ttjv wpav orrov Tv\auv€i va 7rco*r; /xc r^v
ywaiTca tov.
iifl'. E19 <fiOp€pLdfi6v ypd<f>€ cts ayyiKTov X* 1 **™ ayvn/TOV [!]• 'EXcdi
6 €>?• Kal t^v [*ic] \apaKTfjpa ravnjv Kal /?aora o~x o~x«
v'. Ets ai/uoppoovo-av ypd<f>€ cts fiifipivov xaprl Kal oVcrov cfe t^v
KoiXt'av T7/s /xcra a xXcao-r^s Kal Xcyc Kal to Dip ij/xtov Kal Tiyv cv^v
Tavn;v
'O ®s tov *Appadp. y 6 ®t tov *Io-aaK, d 0? tov *IaK<u/?, d 0? d
or^o-as t6v Trorafiov MopBap. cv tj; f rjp.ipa, ovrjaov Kal r^v po^v 10 tov
aifurro? T179 8ouA>/5 8v' [=ocLva], Kal rj <r<f>payU rov Kv rjpMv Iv Xv.
2t<u/i.cv KaX(i)9t orcuficv /xcToi <f>6fiov $v y djujv. Ot o€ EvayycXiOTol
Mar^ato?, MapKO?, AovKa? Kal *Iu>avvi^ tavavirvaio'i [?] appaMrrov* ypd<f>€
ci9 ^vXXov Sa^vr/s flff jjai; </> ^ :
ve'. [Aia v]a Xvo^s avSpa 8c/icvov- hrapov KapvSia Trafiiraxtov Kal
8cVrov avra KOp.irovs tj3 Kal Xcyc diravcD ottjv kc^oXi;v tov* ct9 to ovo/ia
tov Trp? Kal tov vlov Kal tov ayiov irl>{, Kal Xcyc Tavra Ta Xoyca* airokv&ij'
raxrav 11 Ta f4.cXi; tov <*>' [= Sctva] a)5 dircXv^i; Aa£apos dTro rov Ta<f>ov.
vf . Ets piyov Kal 7rvpcTOv ypd<f>€ ct? Kovrrav a<f>opicrp.bv [?] Tawa Ta
ovd/taTa: X? €y€WijOrj f X? iaravpwBr), X? dvcoriy, tov Kv iJ/x<ov Iv Xv
1 /liprrip. s Xcyev * ^*«^o^«
7 x^. 8 /3o/3curat. • fxurpelt.
10 /Maw. 1X areXiy^Trfcwav.
Appendix III. 361
ycvn/^cWos fr Bi^Xccp rrj? 'Iov&ata?, iravcrov, oW/xova #cc<^aXc, diro tov
SovXov tov 0v ^ [= 5ctVa] , ci? to ovo/ia tov lips *al tov Ytov xat tov
dytov HP*, vvV teal del ical cfc tovs aifaVa?].
vo*. Efc XvViy dvov ypd<f>€ ravra cfc \f/o)filv teal 809 tov va to <£ay# *
axoi/X, cfc/b^X, dpircXovpac, ircpt/xapids, Ka/xcvdrrov, IktiXcv, IkitccAcv,
/?pu7#ca8c8co9, ScScovora, to cnxfyaadroSCo^ qvpc 1 r^v Xvonv Tavr^v.
£/T. Ete iroVov omfflovs 1 Xcyc Tavn^ t^v cv^v ayi€ Kooyxa #cal
Aa/uavc, Kvpc #ccu IS', Nt#cdAac #cal 'AkiVSwc oirov to. opcirava* /Sacrrqi tc
Kal TOV 7TOVOK KOTTTCTC, KO\f/aTt KCU TOV WOVOV TOV SovXov TOV 00' §
[= SciKa].
£y'. *Otov cxJ7 o avos oW/xova, 17 to yXv...[1] tov, 1) (fxivraafia,
ypa^c cfc dyvvrpo [1] X* 1 ? 1 "* W*W *"' oA/yoxriv tov ^cyyapt'ov #cat As
/faorp, Xcyc #cai cfc to 8c£tdv tov avnV 4 * "Ev oVo/xan tov lips ical tov
Ylov Kai tov *Ayiov HP*. Tovro to ^vXaxT^piov I8d0i7 t£ Mwvo^ fr
AiyvwTy wro tov *Apxayy«Xov Mtxai^X, vorcpov Si loo0i/ t£ /JoohXci*
SoXoxuovti oVo>9 wardtQ wdv aKoBaprov wcv/ta, 1} curfevctas 6 , 17 ^0)8107*01),
1/ ^pucuur/iov, ^ jStyoirvpcrov 7 , 17 Tpmu'ov, 1} d<f>rjfi€pi.vov y rj tov onvavr^*
/xaros, ^ hri/3ov\ifc, 1) #caTax0bViov s , 1} irXaytov, 1$ pc futytia? vrfroirjfi€yov t
*j KQxfnv, rj aira£ 1} XaXovV, ^ aXaXov, ij ^riXiprnKOv, 1} *»poo"#cctfi[cv]ov°,
^ a</>op/xov, r) trpcun^ ical ocvrcpa? avvavripj'cciK, ^ tov diravnypuiTos, ^ tov
aVavnj/xaTos. 'O %% Iotiv jSoi^os 10 tov SovXov o-ov 0/ [=8€wa] &£
Awva^X, *E poppas, ota</wXa£ov 4v iravri *a<p<j», r]fUpa jcal wicti 11 ical <2pf,
$ia^vXa£ov avrov 6V aVo iraiTO? #caicov ical xavro? kikovvov. ^fiaxri-
Xcvo-c d 6V cis rove atuva?, afujv. St<S^cv »caX<D9, onu^icv /act^
pf*. Ocpl dvopa [nc] o'vov tov <£cvyci 1} ywauca, ypcu^ov to ovofta tov
dvopoc #cai t^5 ywauco? ct? x ^ 1 *^ ^y* — d^unt oetera.
1 CPfnfat. ■ ertBlov. * Wpxara.
4 d«Ti)r. 8 vatf-cXft. • aff$*r4t.
7 pryortfperor. ■ ffarax^c^^f* * wpSfkk'fiov.
10 iw^ot. u rtfrrav.
23—5
APPENDIX IV.
[From another ms. probably by the same hand.]
rorj. Efc fJLUTOK€<f>aKov Kal KC<^aAaAytav :- —
Tpd<f>€ ci9 ayivrov [?] \aprC' 6 $i tov 'Appadp. 1 , 6 $i tov Icraaie,
© Oh tov laKw/?, Avcrov 1 to oai/tdvtov tov fJU<TOK€<f>d\ov diro rrfv K€<f>a\rp^
rov oovAov crov, dpKtfci) <rc to dfcdOapTOv irva to Katfcfdf&cvov vavrorc etc
T^v K€<f>akrjv tov dvo'v, hrapov to cov irovrffia Kal lucrcvcrc aVo njs
xc^aArJs- aVd fiL<roK€<f>a\ov [*tc], ftiAiyKovs* Kal cr^ov£vAov 4 airo tov
oovAov tov 0v £]•/ or ]l k X. or fi ]i f ^ P $v dfi : — [orcS/tcv koAws, or<3p.cv
firra <f>6Pov Otov 'Afnjv].
toO'. Et9 TratSi dnrov c^ci xa/cov vovv cis fxaOrjcrtv twv icpuv ypa/i-
fjLarwv:
Tpdif/ov ttjv aft €i5 Sictkov oVov koittovv to avTiSwpov, Kal 6o« to va,
AciTovpyiyfljj "2,afifiaT(j} KVpuiKa y Kal aSaav TcAcibrfakriv to. y 'Xafifta.Tm-
Kv[piaKoi] Avaxrc to* fit Kpaal iraAaiov aSoAov" Kal iroVi^c to iraiSl *al aVo-
A[vo~ci] d vovs tov* Kal oVav 7rori£ci to ttoiSl as Acyci d StoacrKoAos r^v
€V)(Tjy Tavrrjv: —
Kc d #5 i^/mov d vtKT/Vas Kal <#Ki)Tto-a5 ra? KapoYas t<3v [i2fc^i6fe],
•rpccr/fvrcpoi McAxurcocK, Na£<ot, 'Ia>;(af"7 [there follows a long list of
Hebrew names], avrol porj0tj(TaT€ 7 wovtcs ical avot£arc tov vovv xai t^v
KapSiav tov SovAov tov Bv hv' cis riyv pudOrpriv t«v Upwv ypapjxdrw.
[Two more prayers in almost the same terms follow.]
*As Acyci Kal tov if/akfiov 'Evkoyqaiti* tov kv cv iravTi Kaipy, koi as
Kparfi to irai$l airo to KC<f>d\iv d $t3curKaAo9 Kal a? Acyci :
[Here follows another long prayer.]
nr'. [tJfegrtofe] va Kcu/779 Tiyv cnrAiJvav: —
Na ypaupys rpia \apria y va ra Kai/779 airavov C19 Ta povya tov /Accra
1 atpa&p. a Afo*. * g.e. pfytyyoi.
4 <r<powW)\ov. ■ \€iuxri t». 6 d^wAor.
7 ^o^e-fyjarai. 8 rfXayfo-o*.
Appendix IV.
363
cfe tva \ov\uiptv iicti cVov tov irovci rj mrXajva tq wmpivjj tov <f>€yyaptov
€ VfUpa* *<" ctvai avra rk ai/ftaSta 6xov tfcXfts va ypctyr^f cte to rpca
Xaprta ravra : —
M
Y
M
*
M
X
+ ircpl va ora/ian/OT/s 1 xaAa£iv: —
*Orav iSp? oirov dpxt'fcL va irttfury* ^aXafiv Tifc c3p[as] va fyfls
/AavpoftAviKov fta^atptv* 17 £vA.iva 1} KOxaAcVia ra /lavtyiria, va to wdpffi*
cis ro \ipiv crov to oc£tdv, va ora/iai^o^? ra. v€<f>rj tcaOu* ctvat, ijyow va
to orpaKrjys* cfe tov ovpavov, oiiroO (hktow [«c] Tiyv Ppoxyv icai to
XaAa&v, va cfrrj/? ctJi/ : *Ev apXO % y ° ^y°?» * a * o ^.oyos i}v irpov tov 0v,
#cal 0s iyv d Aoyos, #cal xaOws to ciirj/? irapcv0v9 va Kap<f>too~QS to /*a;(aipiv
cfc rdflXav* rj tU rrfv y^v, ical tiJs (Spas otckctoi 7 to xaAa{cv. EZ 8c 8 av
cleat cts KapapLv Kal ov^t cfe aXXov toVov : —
[The scribe here changes the subject abruptly.]
Translation.
For megrim and headache :
Write on a piece of paper: God of Abraham, God of Isaac,
God of Jacob, loose the demon of the megrim* from the head of
1 ffTatiarUrtit.
4 rdpct.
* we&rn. * pax*/*"'
8 ffrpofctt. 8 rovXcu
» ffrtKert. • I tt.
9 to fuffox^^aXw (or • AUffOfftyoXot), half -head, is a literal rendering of the
ancient ^MurpaWa, a neuralgic pain on one tide of the head or face, whence oar
own word megrim (through the French migraine =hemicraine). This pain it
by the modern folk-physician, consistently enough, attributed to a special
demon, with whom I personally am not acquainted; but Mr W. H. D. Boose,
more fortunate, in his interesting paper on 'Folk-lore from the Southern
Sporades' (Folk- Lore, June 1899, pp. 171—172) was able to quote a charm
from a m. similar to mine, in which this ' half -head ' demon is described as
" a youth standing beyond Jordan and crying with a loud voice that he wants
man's flesh to eat."
364 Macedonian Folklore
Thy servant. I charge thee, unclean spirit, which ever sittest in
the head of man, take thy pain and depart from the head : from
half-head, membrane, and vertebra, from the servant of (rod
So-and-So. Stand we fairly, stand we with fear of God. Amen.
For a child which has a mind unable to learn the sacred
letters :
Write the A. B.C. on a platter used for holy bread and give it to
be blessed in the liturgy on three Saturdays and Sundays, and when
the three Saturdays and Sundays are complete, dissolve it [?] in
unadulterated old wine and give the child to drink, and his brain
will be set free. And while the child is drinking let the school-
master say the prayer :
Lord our God, who hast overcome and enlightened the hearts of
[illegible], presbyters Melchisedeck, Naboi, Jochami, etc. help ye all,
and open the mind and the heart of the servant of God So-and-So,
that he may learn the sacred letters.
Let him also recite the psalm: "I will bless the Lord in all
time," and let the schoolmaster hold the child by the head and
say:
For affections of the spleen:
Write on three pieces of paper and burn them in a spoon over
his clothes, in the part where the spleen ails, on the fifth day of the
moon ; and these are the signs which thou shalt write on these three
pieces of paper :
To stay a hail-storm :
When thou seest that hail begins to fall, at that same time take
a black-handled knife, the handle being either wood or bone, hold it
in thy right hand, in order to stay the clouds as they are, namely to
scatter them over the sky, which pour the rain and the hail, and say
thus: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God," and as soon as thou hast said this,
forthwith plant the knife into a table or into the earth, and at once
the hail- storm ceases. But if thou happenest to be on board ship,
and not in any other place,
APPENDIX V.
Extracts from a Phylactery dated 1774, in the possession of
M. Demetrius Lascaris of Melenik, Macedonia. Copied Sept. 17,
1900 1 .
nayev\oyr)fjL€wr) Havayia Aco-iroiva Gkorofcc, fiorjBrprov rov 8. r. 0.
: A : [i.e. SovAov rov Otov Aovirav]
i(owruu t XtpovptCfL, Scpa^ctf*.
i(nnrvp€TOv ptyos, jrparatov? jSpo;^?, KVprjKas Aiui/rifcov?, voaov /?Aa/?cpas,
vwrov xaAciriJs, voavovrrp, irt/jurriicrj* fcac ircuirn//ACvip, Ao'£a Ty Harpc
#cai np Yup #cai r«p 'Ayup Ilvcv/iari.
icai rove fnjropa? t«Jv haipovwv 8cucvov? kou ^aXivw/icvove, ot/ra»9 coraxrav
oi tyOpoi rov SovAov rov Otov : AovVa : Al yXwatrai avruiv, to \ € ^V
avrcijv teal ij KapSia avruiv, ra vcvpa avrov icat ot ap/iot avrwv #cai ra
Oftfiara cu>s tc'Ao? avrov. icat av rts vrdyrj cfc rov 8. r. 0. : A : StVc rov?
irooas tovs tov /ai; Tp«£ctv, ScVov ras X'W? TOV * to W 8vvi^rovTai irwurat
tov^cki 1} OTra^l i} Kovrapt va /k'£ovv dtravco etc rov 8. r. 0. : A : To
/M>Av/?ft orov vol £t£ow £ravo> cts rov 8. r. 0. A. /xc ftordvi va ytvrj
pajifiaKt ftai 6 *Ap;(dyycAos Mi^a^X va to irapaficpurg cu>* rpctc opyvta?
diro irovra rov & r. 0. A. *ai 6 8. r. 0. A. va y[A]vrttKT$ vyctj^? /cat ot
i\6poi rov & r. 0. A. {: 8ov*a :} va ctvat 8«/xcVot. ok ocoS/irav ra arb*/iara
n3v Acovtwv cfc rovt fiaprvpas tov* ayt'ove ovru>9 va 8c0ovv feat ra oro/iara
avrov icara rov 8. t. A : A ! 17 ^orrta rov tov^ckl'ov rwv va ytvrj alBipa*
icai ro <nra$i ro>v /3a/t/3a#ct. 2<»Krov, Kvpif , rov 8. r. A : A : *at ouu^ov
1 The text is given with all its eccentricities of spelling, style, and grammar
faithfully preserved.
366 Macedonian Folklore
tow 'AvaroAucov? teat Bopfivov? teal Avrucovc *al Norucouc cai/iovas va
dW^MO-i dwo top 8. t. 0. : A : #cal iv 6vd/AaTi rov juydkov $€Ov SafiawB
o'p#ct£ci> ra9 ifi&ofJLTJKovra Svo do-0cYctaif us c^ct o avOpvnrof 9 Ava^tap^auTi
cLtto rov oovAo r. 6\ : Sowca : jcgu ^ diro ovpavov? kcltt}\$€v do-0cVcta kcu rj
dird doTpov, rj diro rjkiov rj diro crcXi/vi^ ^ diro [wfrov rj diro Kpvov acpo? fj
diro vcpo ^ diro dorpa^? Kar^X^cv r) aVo o-cioyiov 1/ diro ktvttov KarrjkOwy
rj diro <f>6vov rj atro tcafiirov r) ircStou 17 airo trora/tov 1/ dypov rj ircpi/?o'Aov
r) iv mprw rj iv irapa$ct<r<p rj iv Sto6u> rj rpio&w rj iv curooVti rj iv #o&f
Xoirrpov, <f>ovpvov, rpox<a\ov l rj cv 0vpa rj BvpiSa aVaiycov, icaTarycior,
dXctfvtov. ...........
17 atro ^dp/uuueo? rj <f>dovov rj (7A.01/ Kal diro ftapiw aurxpuiv dtfrOaXpuv rj
diro fia<TKO<rvvr)s rj dWrjs ovjiifropas cir^pftcV?/? 1) dytpitcov rj vcpatoov rj
rtav iv £o</>a> d€powenpfi€vu)v Kal rjXBart dhuajvax rov 8. t. 0, : A : Kuptc
</>u\aTTC ...........
vc^potrovov, xcipdirovov, oWovpia? .......
i(opKi£<a vfias on iart dSucov cfc rov 8. t. $. : A :
1 'ground marked out for the erection of a church,' according to my
informant.
APPENDIX VL
I.
To /uucpv fiov \ to o-Kurro vov. (it\«i&y>«i', ft lock,)
2.
% ArafLttra V< ovo ftovtk
Bovp/?ovAaxa? jraT0airvA£. (iropfii;, crepitus i»ntri*> )
3.
KotAia /ic KOtAia,
To fuucpv irav* oovAcia. (iritfapi, A wino JAr.)
4.
'hvoiy o /taAAtapof
MircuV o yicdAtafx*. (rcrovpa'irt, A wok,)
5,
XtXiais, /ivAiatf Kvpanrtrvbtu* fuk V r^ «fAAi/ HitfintftoHtoPtM.
Or
XiXuui, ftvkuu* KvpawA&ai* awlf* 4 A* mrfpAtv.
(tti(#%tMh 4 M** ***** ;
368 Macedonian Folklore
8.
MircuVci), pyaCvot *s rbv orra teal KOVToyovaTtfa,
Bya£<i> top *a/i.ira £ovpva xat <jc KaAa<£aTt£a).
(o-cvtovki, s trunk.)
9.
BaX* T7J KOLl oto£ci,
ByaX* T17 #rfl c£;(vt£ct.
(irarvaPpa rov <fx>vpvov, the rag with which the oven is swept.)
10.
Scarap, irarap, o"€ rq /?a£ci>,
Kjj airoKovp$o>fi€vr] /fyatVci. (myiTa, a pie.)
11.
*2 to fiovvo y€wq$Ka, *s to fiovvo rpdvetf/a,
Tiapa avaxnijOKa va yAcVo) rov avrpa ko.1 rsr} ywai/cas.
(fcaTco^Xi, the door-sill.)
ADDENDA.
Page 13.
Col. Leake gives a pretty variant of the weather-lore on the Epiphany, from
Acarnania :
Xapd <rrb Xpurrtycpa <rrcyv&,
TA 4>urra x i0Pur ^ ¥CL *
TA fiT&pta ytofuafiipa.
"Joy to a dry Christmas, a snowy Epiphany, and a rainy Easter, then the
barns will be tilled."
He also quotes the Sicilian saying : Oennaro sicco borghese ricco.
Travels in Northern Greece, Vol. zn. p. 515.
Page 123.
Concerning the plant popularly called ( Tbe Holy Virgin's Hand,' Scarlatos
D. Byzantios says: Xtpi rijs Ilavaylas dvofxd^ovp y yvpaUes eZ86t n fvroQ, rA
broXov iKdirovffiv efc rit yhvai, <rcp6/itv*i, teal pi airrb farrtfwv rb otinj/xa rwr
Xex^wr. He identifies it with the peony, Ae£utdr rrjs ko$' iffuit 'EXXirrunp
AtaMjcrou, s.v. x^P 4 -
INDK
Afrit hmngi'lufl, prophecies of, 1
Alexander the Great, id incantation*.
oaterpillara, recipe for driving away, 291
cattle, weather-lore about. 111: cure
3161; in folk tra.i f9-81 J
legendary hiatorv of, ft]
14 veneration of the, 199
huU, omen from,
128, SUMO,
April, U
AnncnoH.
Cfaero*, 102. 128; penny of, 11W ;
arrnok, omen from apilling, 102
ilar conception of, 206-7
arrow -ahootim.', 87-6
96-7. 29
aaa, th«\ in ancient and modern Mace*
titiona oonoec.
wilh, 124 »;, !
tog ill
Ajrea 1-2
rln: M-7
Baboyen
Cleaning Week. 30
baail, it* uaea. 98 ; aoruta about the, 94
cook, weather-lore About the, 107
hat. auperstitioQ about the, U0
lr, aafeguard otfatnat the I
beard)*** mei dreod of,
a, divination by, 96
be***, btaodletfon »f. m-4
.1 bode, divination by, 7ft-9
bell*.
oripplea, 14*6
1 t ; mi
La, 27
Cro Month of
people, 171.
the," H\ »v '!>«. 87-3
M, W
-bow*, 27-8
with two, 105
I4fi
cuckoo, 1 6- 7
hit* 280, 2ft3
cur- r parant'a, 1S5, 195. 211.
226; Hi*hnp**, 'ill foU.
booAna, 17 & 17, Hi
daiav D by plucking a, 46
189 »1
M i
dead, feu
- about, 98 ; a*cr*d~
dervi»b«*. ** vampire- killer* « 221 ; aa
•pillar name for January,
Hem or propitiator* of evil
in
24-6
I " popular name for Easter, 35
.
adopted.
i at ion, 96-117
bug*, 18, 96
dog. mam b*n •* howltm; 107;***
guardian •pirit, 222 ; aa a wood-
candle*. Eaater, 36
Carnival, 96
l)r»koa, well* haunted by tba,
oared*, K«* Y«r'»
960-1; l^gaoda about the, 961-3.
cat, otnan* from, 1 ping over
964 j mythological interpretation of
eorp
370
Index
dreams, 79, 209; interpretation of,
226
drinking rhymes, 342-3
drought, ceremonies in time of, 118-20
drunkenness, recipe against, 233
Drymiais, 21, 63-4
Dudule-song, 119
Eagle, "The Prince and the," 268-77,
351-7
ears, premonitions derived from burn-
ing and ringing, 111
Easter, weather-lore, 13; rhymes, 26;
customs, 25-42 ; Sunday, 35 ; Tues-
day, 38 ; song, 38
Elijah, the Prophet, 240
Epiphany, weather-love, 13, 368 ;
Feast, 86-8
Evil Eye, 123-4, 139-46
exhumation, 210-214
eyes, premonitions from twitching, 112
Fates, 125-8; "The Youth and the,"
128
fatigue, recipe against, 233
February, 14
Fetch, 222
fever, cause of, 224; cures for, 225,
228, 232-4
fire, divination by, 98 ; ordeal, 298-9
first-foot, 84-5
first-fruit, 122
fishing, recipe for success in, 233
44 Flayer," popular name for March, 21
flea, 18, 27
flowers, divination by, 46
Fortune, 128-9
forty days, 14-5; paces, 229
Forty-day fast, 26
Friday, 21, 63, 190-1
fright, recipes against, 225, 233-4
funeral rites, 192-222; procession, 197;
service, 200; feast, 203-4; mourn-
ing, 204-6
gad-fly, .omen from, 110
games, Easter, 38 ; St Thomas's, 40
"Gaping," game of, 29-30
garlio, as a safeguard against the Evil
Eye, 124, 141
geese, wild, weather-lore, 62
Gipsy fortune-tellers, 225-6
girdle, superstitions about the, 99-100
Good Friday, 35
44 Good Word," 35
44 gooding," 18, 32, 89
grasshopper, 59-60
' Great Bear, folk names for the, 70
44 Great Month," popular name for
January, 13
gyon, forerunner of spring, 17 ; legend
of, 290-1
hair, school superstition about, 301
half-head, demon of the, 363 n.
hand, premonitions from itching, 112
hare, superstition about the, 106
44 Harvester," popular name for June,
50
hemorrhage, cure for, 234
hen, omen from a crowing, 106
hexagram, symbolic significance of the,
142
hide and seek, game of, 17 n.
holy springs, 243-4; water, 75, 268
Holy Week, 35
house-spirits, 257-9
January, 13-4
44 Judas," 37
July, 59-60
June, 50-58
Karkantzari, 73-6, 219 n.
kid, omen from the sight of a, 16
kings, in M. Gr. folk-tales, 275
Kledonas, rite of, 53-7
knots, magio significance of, 100, 105,
170, 228, 234
Koran, the, in folk-medicine, 224
lamb, omen from the sight of a, 16;
Easter, 38
4 * Lame Month," popular name of
February, 14
Lamia, the, 265 foil.
Lazarus, Feast of, 32-4
lead, divination by molten, 51-2
Lent, 26-8
light, ceremony of receiving, 86
lightning, recipe against, 229
44 Little Month," 14
44 Long Month," 13
mad dog, cure for the bite of a,
230
magpie, omen from a, 110
Makarios, prophecies of, 117
March, 16-24
marriage, 147-91
May, 43, 46-9
Meat-Sunday, 26
medical treatises, 230-6, 358-64
medicine, folk-, 227-30
Mid-Pentecost, 40
Milky Way, popular names for the,
and legend, 69
mirror, divination by, 50-1
Mohammed the Conqueror and ex-
communication, 212-3
Index
371
Mohammedan wizards, 225
Moirais, 126-8
" Month-days," 62
moon, new, 71 ; eelipee of the, 72
morn, game of, 297-8
"mothering," 29
mummers, 88
Naidis, story of, 129-34, 247-50
nail, a safeguard against evil, 64;
nailing the Vampire, 221
nail-cutting, superstition about, 189-
90; nail-parings, preserved, 214-5
name-day, 122
Nasreddin Khodja, story of, 114
Neraides, 125, 240 foil.
New Year's Day, 77-83
"Night of Power," 86
nightbird, omen from a, 108
nose, premonition from itching, 113;
cure for a bleeding, 230, 283
November, 66-7
nuskas, use of, 224
October, 65-6
offerings, to the dead, 197, 208-9
oil, omen from spilt, 102
olive leaves, divination by, 78
owl, omen from a hooting, 107, 108
Palm Sunday, 34
"pappas," popular name for the daisy,
46
Paschal eggs, 35
Paschalia, 37
pee- wit, legend of the, 290
pentagram, symbolic significance of
the, 142
pepper, omen from spilt, 102
Perperuna-song, 119
Philip, in folk tradition, 279
philtres, 226-7
phylacteries, 238-40, 365-6
plague, the, 237-8
plants, magic, 123, 368
Pleiades, the, 70
"Plough," "Plough-feet," popular
names for constellations, 70
portraiture, superstitious dread of,
300-1
possession, by demons, 282, 235, 241
"Precursor Men/' 89
premonitions, 111-3
priests, superstition about, 104-5
Prince and the Eagle, story of the,
268-77, 351-7
Princess and the two Dragons, story
of the, 264
prophecies, 116-7
Protomala, 46
44 Pruner," popular name for January,
13
Purification, feast of the, 14-5 ; after
child-birth, 137; after a funeral,
203-4 ; for the Evil Eye, 143 ; in
folk-medicine, 223
quince-tree, in folk-medicine, 228
rabbit, omen from the encounter of a,
106
rainbow, superstitious belief about
the, 71
rats, omen from, 108
red-haired people, 105
red yarn, charm of the, 19, 28, 124, 228
"Remembrance," game of, 98
rheumatism, cure for, 229
rhinoceros' horn, safeguard against
the Evil Eye, 142-3
riddles, 302 foil., 367 foil,
right and left, 113, 187-8
ring-dove, legend of the, 293
robbers, charm against, 233
Rousa, feast of the, 40-2
Sabbatarians, 221-2
St Andrew, " Month of," 66
„ Anthony, 241
„ Barbara, 67
„ Basil, 77-83
„ Demetrius, "Month of," 65
„ Elias, 240
„ Elmo, fires of, 241
„ Friday, 243
„ George, Feast of, 11, 43-6 ; 44 Month
of," 43
„ Oervais, 15
„ Hilary, 15
„ Ignatius, 68
„ John, Feast of, 11, 50, 61-88;
curer of fevers, 65, 233
„ John's wort, 123
„ Kosmas and Damian, 235
„ Medard, 15
„ Modesto*, 241
„ Nicholas, "Month of," 67; patron
of mariners, 241
„ Panteleemon, 241
„ Paul, 15
„ Plato, 67
„ Protais, 15
„ Solomone, 243
„ Spyridion, 68
„ Thomas, Feast of, 39
„ Vincent, 15
salt, symbolical use in wishing, 84 ;
giving out of the house, 101 ; sacred-
ness of, 102
sand-bath, 229
372
Index
Saturnalia, 26
Scarlatina, 40
Seasons, rhymes on the, 12
September, 64-5
serpent, superstition about, 106;
charms against, 233-4
shadow, as a nightmare, 257
Shepherd and his flock, legend of the,
229
Shepherd and the Nymphs, story of
the, 246
sieve, saying about the, 96; giving
out of the house, 101 ; as a safe-
guard against evil, 219, n. 2
sleepiness, cure for, 231
slings, 27-8
Small-pox, 236-7
sneezing, 30, 113-6
snow, children's rhymes about the, 121
soul, ideas concerning the, 193
Souls 1 Sabbaths, 208-9
" Sower," popular name for November,
66
sparrows, omen from, 109, 111
Spirits of the Air, 224-5
storks, omen from, 109
Strigla, 266
Struma, 2, 224
Sun, children's rhymes to the, 121
swallow, 18-21; song, 18
sweeping, after dark, 101
symbolism, 118-22
sympathetic magic, 19
Testament, New, in folk-medicine, 227
"Thresher," popular name for July, 59
tooth superstition, 20
toothache, cure for, 231
tortoise, superstition about the, 109
Triodi, game of, 295-7
turning back, unlucky, 105
"turtle-doves/' 35; the bird, 109
14 Twelve-Days," 73
" Twins," popular name for November
and December, 67
vinegar, giving out of the house, 101 ;
omen from spilt, 102
Vintage, " Month of the," 64
Virgin, Feasts of the, 61, 66
Vrykolakas, 217-22
warts, cure for, 280
water, "speechless," 52, 83; giving
out of the house, 101; symbolical
use of, 122; "holy," 124
Water-Spirits, 246, 249-56; -serpent,
256, 265
wax, divination by molten, 52
weasel, omen from the, 108 ; supersti-
tion and legend about, 109
wedding, preparations, 155-67; cere-
mony, 167-79; banquets, 179-82;
songs, 157-86; toasts, 179
Wednesday, 21, 68, 190-1
whirlwind, incantation, 250-1
Wild Boar, superstition about the,
215-6
wine, rhymes on, 68; omen from
spilt, 102
women, popular opinion on, 122;
rhymes on, 344-£
wood-pigeons, omen from, 109
Wood-Spirits, 250
CAMBRIDGE : PRINTED BY J. AND C. F. CLAY. AT THE UNIVERSITY PE
LANE MEDICAL LIBRARY
This book should be returned on or before
the date last stamped below.
JU W
*ay
**
6R
Mi
IAUZ
HXST
Live Music
Archive
Librivox
Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland
Museum of Art
Internet
Arcade
Console Living Room
Open Library
American
Libraries
TV News
Understanding
9/11